BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 


LIVE  BOYS  IN  THE  BLACK  HILLS ; 

OR, 

THE  YOUNG  TEXAS  GOLD-HUNTERS. 

BY    ALBION    MORECAMP. 
l6mo.     Cloth.     Illustrated $1.00 


LEE  AND  SHEPARD,  PUBLISHERS,  BOSTON. 


OVER  tVE   WENT.  — Page  92. 


LIVE   BOYS; 

OR, 

CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS, 
&  Rfarratt&e 

RELATING   TO  TWO   BOYS   OF   FOURTEEN,   ONE   A   TEXAN, 

THE   OTHER   A   MEXICAN:    SHOWING   THEIR  LIFE  ON 

THE  GREAT  TEXAS  CATTLE  TRAIL,  AND  THEIR 

ADVENTURES  IN  THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY, 

KANSAS,   AND    NORTHERN    TEXAS; 

EMBRACING 

MANY    THRILLING    ADVENTURES. 

TAKEN  DOWN  FROM  CHARLEY'S  NARRATIVE 
BY 

ARTHUR   MORECAMP. 

Illustrate. 


BOSTON: 
LEE  AND   SHEPARD,   PUBLISHERS. 


COPYRIGHT, 

1878, 

gy    LEE    &    SHEPARD. 
{/iU  Rights  Reserved^ 


rz 


C.    J.     PILGRIM, 

IN  APPRECIATION  OF  A  FRIENDSHIP  IN   NEED  THAT  HAS 
BEEN    A    FRIENDSHIP    INDEED 

THIS    LITTLE    VOLUME 
Is  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  BY  HIS  FRIEND, 
ARTHUR    MORECAMP. 


PREFACE. 


I  FIRST  met  Charley  and  Nasho  at  the  Centen- 
nial, and  often  took  a  much  deeper  interest  in 
listening  to  Charley's  narrations  of  their  adventures 
than  in  any  thing  to  be  seen  on  the  grounds.  Being 
a  good  short-hand  reporter,  I  took  down  most  of 
these  narrations  just  as  they  came  from  Charley's 
lips,  though  I  had  then  no  expectation  of  presenting 
them  to  my  young  readers. 

As  autumn  drew  on,  my  physician  ordered  me 
South  for  my  health,  and  I  bade  good-by  to  my  little 
friends  with  no  little  regret,  thinking  it  most  likely 
we  should  meet  no  more.  Fortune,  however,  turned 
my  steps  to  the  mountains  of  Texas,  where  I  again 
met  Charley  and  Nasho,  just  returned  from  their 
daring  trip  across  Kansas  and  the '  Northern  Texas 
frontier  in  mid-winter. 

A  broken  leg,  caught  in  a  fall  from  my  horse  while 
bear-hunting,  laid  me'  up  a  prisoner  at  good  Mi 


vi  PREFACE. 

Zanco's  house  for  six  weeks — weeks  that  were  enli- 
vened by  Charley's  animated  descriptions  of  their 
adventures  after  leaving  the  Centennial.  As  before, 
I  took  down  full  notes,  and  believing  from  the 
interest  they  had  aroused  in  me  that  they  would  be 
acceptable  to  thousands  of  American  boys,  I  have 
hastily  thrown  them  into  shape  for  the  press,  and 
here  they  are. 

ARTHUR  MORECAMP. 


KERRVILLE,  Kerr  Co.,  Texas, ) 
January  31, 1877.         ) 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I.  PAGB 

Charley  Zanco  and  Nasho. — Nasho's  capture  by  Indians 
and  recapture  by  Charley's  Uncle  and  a  Neighbor. — 

A  Queer  Gallows II 

CHAPTER   II. 

Charley  and  Nasho  find  a  Nest  of  Indian  Weapons. — A 
Deer-hunt. — Something  about  Wild  Animals  and  In- 
dian Hunters 21 

CHAPTER   III. 

Going  to  School. — Work  on  the  Farm, — A  Coon-hunt  in 
which  Charley  and  Nasho  tree  Big  Game. — Killing  a 

Panther 35 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Talk  about  the  Centennial. — "  Let's  go,  Nasho." — Parson 

Theglin  sets  Charley  to  thinking          ...         -43 

CHAPTER  V. 
Parson  Theglin  leads  Charley  to  see  how  he  can  go  to  the 

Centennial 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  good  Friend  to  Charley.— Making  Wild-Turkey  Traps. 

— Turkeys,  Bees,  and  Partridges          .        .        .        .64 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Gathering  Pecans.— A  Bear  and  two  Deer  killed. — Wolf- 
shooting  by  Moonlight 72 


Vlll  CONTEXTS. 

CHAPTER    VIII.  PAGB 

Wild  Bill,  the  Mustang. — A  Fight  between  two  Stallions. — 

Charley  ropes  Wild  Bill  from  a  Tree    ....     79 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Charley  mounts  Wild  Bill. — A  Long  Ride,  a  Leap  into  the 
Colorado  River,  and  a  Tight  Place. —  Camping  out 

Alone     .        •:•••' 88 

CHAPTER  X. 
Trip  to  San  Antonio. — A  new  Friend  ....  101 

CHAPTER   XL 
Charley  and  Nasho  get  their  Names  in  the  Paper       .        .  no 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Selling  out  their  Load. — Sharp  Practice. — The  old  Alamo 

and  the  Great  Battle  there 118 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
Auctioning  the  Wax  Figures. — Trouble  about  Counterfeit 

Money. — Home  again 124 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Roping  the  Big  Bear. — New  way  of  Catching  a  Horse- 
thief. — Charley  and  Nasho  engaged  for  the  Cattle- 
drive  132 

CHAPTER   XV. 
Another  Trip  to  San  Antonio. — Buying  Horses  on  Credit. 

— Charley  learns  something  about  Business          .         .146 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
Trip  to  Cara  de  Bueyes. — Scenes  at  the  Ranch. — Capt 

Dick 156 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Road-branding  Cattle. — The  Chute. — Something  about  the 

Cattle  Business 166 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

A  Trip  to  the  Gulf  Shore.— Charley  kills  two  Swans,  and 
is  left  Naked  on  the  Prairie. — Turning  Tailor. — Found 
by  Capt.  Dick  and  Nasho 173 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  XIX.  PAGB 

Cattle  Driving. — Rounding-up  and  Herding. — Capt.  Dick 
in  a  Tight  Place. — Back  to  the  Ranch  .  .  .186 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Start. — The  Life  of  the  Drover. — Whistling  Bill  names 
the  Hands 195 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Crossing  the  Gaudalupe  River. — Drive  to  Austin. — A  Look 
at  the  State  House 205 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Life  on  the  Trail. — In  the  Nation. — A  Stormy  Night  and 
a  Big  Stampede 210 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Rainy  Weather. — Twenty-four  Hours  without  Food  or 
Sleep. —  A  Trading  Post. —  A  Prairie-Dog  Town. — 
Eating  Dog. — Alone  in  the  Prairie  ....  223 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Highover  and  Black  Jack  try  to  Steal  the  Herd. — A  Night 
Stampede. — Whistling  Bill's  Shot. — Charley  starts  on 

a  Long  Ride 233 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
One   Hundred  Miles   on  a  Stretch. — A  Long  Sleep  and 

back  to  Camp 246 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Whistling  Bill's  Story. — Capt.  Dick  tells  about  the  Hang- 
ing.— Burying  in  the  Prairie. — In  sight  of  Ellis  .  .  251 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Charley  Catches  some  Pets. — Lassoing  a  Buffalo  Bull. — 
Off  for  the  Centennial 261 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
At  the   Centennial. — How  they  make  Money. — Charley's 

Little  Friend,  and  how  he  found  Her   ....  269 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIX.  PAG, 

Starting  for  Texas. — Charley  finds  a  Stranger  in  Need  and 

Helps  Him. — A  Lonely  Burial. — On  the  Trail  Again  .  277 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Travelling  and  Camping. — Captured  by  Indians. — Nasho 
finds  an  Old  Friend,  who  Releases  them. — Charley 
Picks  Up  a  Dog 285 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Over  the  Snow. — Charley  is  almost  Frozen. — Indian  Doc- 
toring.— Nasho  Kills  an  Indian  with  an  Arrow. — Rapid 
Travelling. — Home  Again  .  .  •  .  •  .  297 


LIVE    BOYS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

CHARLEY    ZANCO    AND    NASHO, NASHO's    CAPTURE 

BY  THE  INDIANS,  AND  SUBSEQUENT  RECAPTURE 
BY  CHARLEY'S  UNCLE  AND  A  NEIGHBOR. — A  QUEER 
GALLOWS. 

I  LIVE  away  over  in  Texas,  in  Kerr  Co.,  on  a  little 
creek  called  Turtle,  up  in  the  mountain.  The 
country  is  nearly  all  mountains  up  there,  and  the 
Guadaloupe  river  runs  through  them.  I  live  with 
Uncle.  His  name  is  Adolphus  Zanco,  and  mine  is 
Charles  Zanco.  I  am  fourteen  years  old  and  so  is 
Nasho.  Nasho  ain't  his  right  name.  He  is  a  Mexican, 
and  his  name  is  Ygnacio  de  Garapitas,  but  we  always 
call  him  Nasho  because  it  is  shorter.  Nasho  was  born 
way  out  on  the  Rio  Grande  river,  'most  to  Mexico  ;  but 
one  day  the  Kickapoo  Indians  came  along  and  killed 
his  father  and  mother,  and  took  his  poor  little  baby 
sister  by  the  heels  and  knocked  her  brains  out  against 
the  tree  that  stood  in  front  of  their  Jacal.  Then 
they  set  fire  to  the  house  and  rode  off,  and  they  took 


12  LIVE   BOYS. 

all  the  horses  on  the  place.  They  put  Nasho  on  his 
pony  and  took  him  too;  and  shot  their  arrows  into  the 
cows  and  oxen  as  they  rode  away.  Nasho  was  only 
six  years  old  then.  I  forgot  to  say  that  Jacal  is 
Mexican  for  house.  Most  of  their  Jacals  are  made 
of  mud  worked  up  into  rough  bricks  that  are  dried  in 
the  sun.  They  call  them  adobe,  but  we  say  'dobe  for 
short. 

The  day  the  Indians  took  Nasho  off  they  rode  sixty 
miles.  They  were  in  a  hurry,  because  they  had  been 
down  on  the  river  stealing  horses,  and  were  afraid  the 
soldiers  and  ranch-men  would  be  after  them.  Nasho 
said  he  was  'most  tired  to  death,  and  so  sleepy  he  could 
hardly  sit  on  his  pony,  but  they  wouldn't  let  him  stop. 
And  whenever  he  would  think  about  his  poor  pa  and 
ma  all  full  of  arrows  and  bloody,  and  his  little  sister 
with  her  head  all  broke  to  pieces,  he  would  cry,  and  that 
would  make  them  mad,  and  sometimes  one  of  the 
meanest  and  worst  looking  ones  in  the  crowd  would 
dash  at  him,  and  make  out  like  he  was  going  to 
stick  his  lance  in  him;  but  there  was  one  of  them  that 
was  finer  dressed  than  the  others  that  was  good  to 
him,  and  carried  him  in  his  arms  part  of  the  way  so  he 
could  rest  and  sleep  some,  and  wouldn't  let  the  mean 
one  hurt  him.  At  night  they  went  into  a  deep 
thicket  at  the  head  of  a  little  creek,  and  made  a  little 
fire  out  of  dry  sticks  that  wouldn't  make  much  blaze, 
and  cooked  some  half-dried  meat,  and  staid  there  all 
night.  They  gave  Nasho  some  of  the  meat.  The 
good  one  gave  him  a  blanket  to  sleep  on  that  they 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         1 3 

had  taken  from  his  pa's  house.  Next  morning  they 
were  up  before  daylight,  cooked  some  more  meat  and 
were  off  again.  They  were  a  week  reaching  their  camp 
way  high  up  on  the  Rio  Grande  river  in  the  moun- 
tains. Nasho  said  he  was  nearly  dead,  he  was  so 
tired,  when  they  got  there.  He  lived  with  them  seven 
years.  He  didn't  have  much  to  do,  only  to  herd  the 
ponies,  and  keep  them  from  straying  away.  He 
learned  to  shoot  with  a  bow  and  arrows,  and  used  to 
kill  birds  and  rabbits  and  squirrels,  and  sometimes  he 
would  kill  a  deer.  He  said  the  weather  was  so 
cold  in  winter  that  he  and  the  other  Indian  children 
used  to  suffer  a  great  deal  from  it.  They  didn't  have 
any  clothing  but  buckskins  and  blankets,  and  some  of 
their  blankets  were  old  and  full  of  holes  and  let  the 
wind  in.  And  sometimes,  too,  they  had  very  little  to 
eat,  and  would  pick  the  bones  of  the  deer  and  buffaloes 
that  had  been  killed.  Sometimes  Nasho  would  go 
out  with  a  little  Indian  boy  that  he  liked  most  of  any 
of  the  Indian  children,  and  kill  a  bird  or  two,  or  may 
be  catch  a  rabit  in  their  snares,  or  run  him  into  a 
hollow  tree  with  their  dogs,  and  twist  him  out,  and 
then  they  would  eat  up  their  game  by  themselves. 
They  would  carry  fire  with  them  in  a  hollow  reed 
that  would  keep  it  a  long  time,  and  cook  their  game 
out  in  the  woods.  They  knew  if  they  took  it  back 
to  the  village  they  would  have  to  divide  with  the 
other  children,  and  they  wouldn't  get  enough  to  do 
them  any  good.  I  think  they  were  right  ;  for  the 
Indians  had  no  business  to  carry  Nasho  away  with 


14  LIVE    BOYS. 

them.  Nasho  got  so  he  could  shoot  with  a  bow  and 
arrow  about  as  well  as  a  white  man  with  a  gun,  and 
killed  a  great  many  deer  and  two  elk,  and  sometimes 
a  buffalo.  Once  when  he  was  out  with  one  of  their 
hunting  parties  a  long  way  from  their  winter  camp — 
they  didn't  stay  in  one  place,  but  travelled  about  a  great 
deal,  camping  wherever  they  found  grass,  water  and 
game — he  was  hunting  by  himself,  and  saw  an  Indian 
from  another  tribe  riding  along  on  his  pony.  The 
Indian  had  not  seen  him,  so  he  dodged  down  into  a 
little  hollow,  jumped  off  his  pony,  crawled  through  the 
long  grass  so  as  to  get  right  close  in  the  way  the 
Indian  was  coming,  and  as  he  rode  by  shot  him  off 
his  horse  with  an  arrow  and  killed  him.  Then  he  ran 
up  and  scalped  him,  put  the  scalp  in  his  belt,  caught 
the  Indian's  pony  and  led  him  back  to  their  camp. 
The  Indian  that  had  been  so  kind  to  him,  and  taken 
him  into  his  tent,  was  very  proud  and  happy  to  see 
him  come  back  with  a  scalp  in  his  belt,  and  told  him 
some  day  he  would  be  a  big  chief.  That  evening 
when  the  other  Indians  had  all  come  back  from  hunt- 
ing they  made  a  great  feast,  and  took  the  scalp  Nasho 
had  brought  back,  and  put  it  on  a  pole  in  the  centre 
of  the  village,  and  they  all  danced  around  it  for  an 
hour.  They  called  Nasho  '  the-boy-who-had-killed-a- 
man.'  After  that  he  always  went  out  with  their  war- 
riors both  to  hunt  and  when  they  went  on  the  war- 
path. 

When  Nasho  was  about  thirteen  years  old  he  came 
down  with   a   party  of   warriors   to    Texas   to   steal 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         15 

horses.  When  they  got  down  close  to  the  settle- 
ments they  separated,  and  Nasho  and  two  others  were 
to  strike  in  near  the  head  of  the  Guadaloupe  river, 
and  slip  down  through  the  country  in  the  night,  find- 
ing out  where  the  horses  were,  and  then  on  their  way 
back  drive  off  all  they  could  get.  They  had  no  guns, 
and  even  left  their  bows  and  arrows  and  lances  hid  in 
a  thicket  where  they  could  get  them  on  their  way 
back.  They  had  only  butcher-knives,  and  several 
lariats  apiece  with  which  to  catch  the  horses  they 
wanted  to  steal.  They  had  killed  a  cow  and  cut  her 
meat  into  long,  thin  strips,  and  hung  it  over  their 
horses  so  that  it  would  dry  in  the  sun  as  they  rode 
along.  That  was  all  they  had  to  eat.  I  reckon  they 
didn't  know  how  close  they  were  to  the  settlements,  or 
else  thought  they  would  keep  a  sharp  watch,  but  they 
wasn't  sharp  enough.  Uncle  and  Mr.  Braston  was  out 
hunting  deer,  and  saw  the  three  coming  half  a  mile  off, 
just  as  they  got  to  the  head  of  a  ravine.  They  hid  their 
horses  in  some  thick  bushes,  and  slipped  down  into- 
the  ravine  the  way  the  Indians  was  coming.  Nasho 
was  in  front,  and  the  other  two  behind  him,  one  right 
after  the  other  in  Indian  file.  When  they  saw  Nasho 
was  only  a  boy  they  agreed  not  to  shoot  him,  but 
Uncle  was  to  take  the  second  one,  and  Mr.  Braston 
the  one  behind  him  on  the  pack  horse,  and  when 
Uncle  gave  a  low  whistle  both  were  to  shoot.  Then 
they  were  to  set  Bose  and  Trailer  —  Uncle's  big  dogs 
—  on  Nasho's  horse,  and  Uncle  was  to  follow  them  on 
foot  while  Mr.  Braston  ran  to  his  horse  and  followed 


1 6  LIVE    BO  VS. 

them  on  horseback.  They  all  came  riding  along 
as  quiet  as  cats  but  watching  round  on  every  side. 
Uncle  waited  till  the  two  Indians  were  right  opposite 
them,  and  then  whistled  —  crack  !  went  the  guns  so 
close  together  you  could  not  hear  but  one  sound  —  off 
came  both  Indians,  and  out  jumped  Uncle  sicking  on 
Bose  and  Trailer,  while  Mr.  Braston  ran  for  old 
George.  At  the  crack  of  the  gun  Nasho  looked  back 
to  see  what  it  was,  but  when  the  Indians  fell  he  com- 
menced kicking  his  pony,  and  putting  his  quirt  to 
him,  but  before  he  could  get  fairly  started  Bose  and 
Trailer  had  caught  up  with  him,  and  Bose  nabbed  the 
the  pony  by  his  long  mane  on  one  side,  and  Trailer  on 
the  other,  and  pulled  down  on  him  so  heavy  he  couldn't 
run.  Quick  as  a  flash  Nasho  pulled  out  his  butcher- 
knife  and  stabbed  poor  Bose  in  the  neck,  and  he  hol- 
lered and  let  loose,  but  before  he  could  stab  Trailer 
Uncle  was  there  and  grabbed  him  around  the  waist, 
and  jerked  him  off  the  pony,  and  took  the  knife  away 
from  him.  Mr.  Braston  came  up  full  jump  and 
caught  the  pony  by  his  long  trailing  bridle-rope,  and 
tied  him  to  a  tree,  and  tied  Nasho's  hands  behind 
his  back  with  the  end  of  it.  Then  they  went  back 
and  caught  the  horses  of  the  Indians  which  had  only 
run  a  little  ways  and  then  stopped  to  feed,  and  came 
back  with  them  to  the  Indians.  They  were  both 
dead.  Uncle  had  shot  his  through  the  heart  with  a 
rifle-ball,  and  Mr.  Braston  had  filled  his  with  buck- 
shot. 

They  didn't  have  any  clothes  but  an  old  blanket 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         I/ 

and  pair  of  buckskin  leggins  apiece,  and  one  of  them 
had  his  leggins  sewed  on  him  so  tight  that  they 
couldn't  have  been  got  off  without  cutting  them  off. 
They  looked  like  they  had  been  put  on  wet,  and 
sewed,  and  had  dried  tight  on  him  like  saddlers  put 
on  the  rawhide  coverings  of  their  saddles.  Each  of 
them  had  a  butcher-knife  in  his  belt,  and  a  flint  and 
steel  and  some  punk  in  a  little  buckskin  bag  at  his 
side.  They  had  three  lariats  apiece  coiled  round 
their  waists.  Uncle  said  he  almost  hated  to  shoot 
his'n,  he  was  so  unsuspectin'-like,  but  he  knew  if  he 
didn't  he  would  get  away  and  steal  horses,  and  may- 
be so  kill  somebody,  so  he  thought  he  had  better  stop 
him  while  he  could,  and  to  keep  from  putting  him  in 
any  misery  he  just  give  him  a  dead  shot. 

After  looking  at  the  Indians  a  little  bit  they  took 
their  horses  and  went  to  the  place  where  they  had 
left  Nasho  tied,  but  when  they  got  there  he  and  the 
pony  was  gone.  They  put  Bose  and  Trailer  on  the 
track  and  away  they  went  as  fast  as  they  could  run. 
Pretty  soon  they  got  out  of  the  bushes  and  saw 
Nasho  just  a  flying  across  a  little  prairie  to  a  thicket 
on  the  other  side.  Mr.  Braston  throwed  up  his  gun 
to  shoot,  but  Uncle  wouldn't  let  him,  and  they  ran 
him  into  the  thicket,  one  of  them  starting  around  on 
each  side  to  keep  him  from  coming  out.  The  dogs 
followed  him  on  and  presently  Uncle  saw  him  coming 
towards  him  to  make  a  break  out.  He  slid  off  his 
horse,  and  as^  Nasho  came  stealing  out  he  took  a 
quick  aim  and  shot  his  pony  right  through  the  top  of 
2 


I  8  LIVE    BOYS. 

the  neck,  and  he  fell  like  he  was  dead.  Uncle  ran  up 
as  quick  as  he  could  and  found  the  pony  had  fell  on 
Nasho,  and  lay  across  his  leg  so  he  couldn't  get  up. 
Directly  the  pony  got  up,  for  he  wasn't  hurt  much, 
but  only  stunned,  and  Nasho  tried  to  raise  up  but  fell 
back  again.  Uncle  stooped  down  over  him  and  found 
the  pony  had  fell  across  a  rock  which  had  broke 
Nasho's  leg.  Mr.  Braston  came  up  and  they  cut 
some  smooth,  straight  sticks  and  tied  his  leg  up  the 
best  they  could.  Then  they  got  two  poles  about 
twelve  feet  long,  and  fastened  one  on  each  side  of 
their  horses,  putting  one  in  front  of  the  other,  and 
fastening  the  poles  to  the  girts  with  strong  strings. 
Then  they  stretched  a  blanket  over  the  poles  with 
long  thorns,  and  put  Nasho  in  the  blanket.  It  sagged 
down  in  the  middle  so  he  couldn't  fall  off.  Then 
they  got  on  the  Indians'  horses,  and  Uncle  went 
ahead  leading  the  two  horses  that  was  carrying 
Nasho's  litter,  and  Mr.  Braston  came  behind  with 
Nasho's  pony,  and  in  this  way  they  went  to  Uncle's 
house.  The  Indians'  saddles  were  mighty  poor  onesj 
and  didn't  have  any  stirrups,  and  Uncle  said  it  was 
as  hard  riding  as  he  had  ever  done. 

When  they  got  there  Mr.  Braston  helped  Uncle  in 
the  house  with  Nasho,  and  put  him  on  a  pallet  on 
the  floor,  and  then  went  on  home,  and  said  he  would 
send  the  doctor  up  as  soon  as  he  could.  The  doctor 
came  up  that  evening  and  set  his  leg,  and  bandaged 
it  up  close  and  tight,  and  said  it  would  be  a  month 
before  he  could  get  out  of  bed.  He  said  he  didn't 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         1 9 

believe  he  was  any  Indian,  but  a  Mexican  that  had 
been  with  the  Indians  a  long  time  until  he  had  come 
to  look  like  an  Indian. 

Poor  little  Nasho  looked  strange  and  wild,  but  he 
had  never  cried  a  bit,  nor  made  any  noise,  but  only 
asked  for  water  by  pointing  to  the  water-bucket,  and 
then  to  his  mouth. 

The  next  morning  some  of  the  neighbors  came  up 
to  look  at  Nasho,  and  to  go  out  to  the  dead  Indians. 

Dr.  Coleman  said  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  take 
the  dead  Indians  to  the  Comanche  Trail,  where  it 
curves  into  the  Big  Gulch,  and  hang  them  up  so  the 
other  Indians  could  see  them  when  they  came  down 
stealing,  and  maybe  they  would  be  afraid  and  go 
back.  Uncle  didn't  like  it.  He  said  it  was  bad 
enough  to  have  to  kill  men,  but  the  dead  ought  to  be 
sacred,  and  be  let  alone  ;  but  all  the  rest  said  it  was  a 
good  idea  and  they  would  do  it.  They  wasn't  men 
like  other  people,  but  only  Injins,  and  just  the  things 
to  make  a  thieves'  gallows  of. 

Right  at  the  head  of  Big  Gulch,  where  the  Injin 
Trail  comes  into  it,  are  two  big  trees  on  top  of  the 
hill,  one  on  each  side  of  the  Trail.  They  cut  a  long 
pole  and  put  it  across,  one  end  in  a  fork  of  each  tree. 
Then  they  took  the  Indians  and  platted  rawhide 
strings  all  around  them  from  their  feet  to  their  heads 
so  they  couldn't  fall  out  when  the  flesh  came  off  of 
them,  and  hung  them  up  to  the  pole  right  over  the 
middle  of  the  Trail  and  left  them  there.  They  was 
there  still  the  last  time  I  was  up  there,  for  the  flesh 


2O  LIVE    BOYS. 

hadn't  dropped  off  of  them,  but  they  had  dried  up  like 
dead  cattle  I  have  seen  on  the  prairies,  where  the 
skin  had  drawn  in  to  the  bones  and  kept  them  to- 
gether. It  wasn't  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  them  of 
a  windy  day  swinging  backwards  and  forwards  in  the 
wind.  I  knew  they  were  dead,  but  I  couldn't  help  but 
feel  like  they  must  get  tired  standing  up  all  the  time, 
day  and  night.  If  they  had  just  staid  at  home  and 
let  us  alone  they  wouldn't  have  been  killed. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CHARLEY   AND    NASHO    FIND    A    NEST    OF    INDIAN    WEA- 
PONS.  A     DEER-HUNT.  SOMETHING    ABOUT  WILD 

ANIMALS    AND    INDIAN    HUNTERS. 

AS  soon  as  Nasho  got  over  his  fever  he  began 
to  talk  a  little  in  a  curious  sort  of  lingo,  that 
Uncle  could  hardly  understand.  He  could  talk  Mexi- 
can very  well,  and  by  a  little  at  a  time  Nasho  quit 
talking  Indian  and  talked  almost  altogether  in  Mexi- 
can. Uncle  found  out  that  he  was  a  little  Mexican 
boy  that  had  been  caught  by  the  Indians,  as  I  told 
you  at  first.  He  said  he  didn't  like  the  Indians  and 
was  glad  to  get  away  from  them,  and  if  Uncle  would  let 
him,  he  would  live  with  him,  and  help  herd  sheep  and 
hunt  up  the  cattle.  So  Uncle  told  him  he  might  live 
with  him,  and  if  he  was  a  good  boy  he  would  send 
him  to  school  in  the  winter  with  me,  when  there 
wasn't  much  to  do. 

Nasho  was  a  good  boy  and  tried  to  do  just  as  he 
was  told,  and  took  good  care  of  the  sheep  when  he  was 
sent  out  to  herd  them.  At  first  Uncle  wouldn't  let 
me  go  with  him,  but  when  he  saw  Nasho  didn't  try 
to  run  away,  or  do  any  thing  bad,  he  would  send  me 


22  LIVE    BOYS. 

with  him  sometimes,  and  sometimes  we  would  go  out 
after  cattle  together.  He  used  to  tell  me  a  good  deal 
about  how  he  lived  when  he  was  among  the  Indians.  If 
he  would  only  wr;te  down  what  he  has  seen  away  out 
on  the  prairies,  and  all  he  knows  about  how  the  In- 
dians live,  it  would  be  a  great  deal  more  interesting 
than  what  I  am  telling  you. 

There  was  one  place  we  used  to  stop  at  often  when 
we  were  hunting  cattle,  where  there  was  soft  clay,  and 
while  our  ponies  were  grazing  at  dinner  Nasho  would 
get  the  clay,  and  soften  it  with  water  from  the  little 
branch,  and  make  it  into  all  sorts  of  things  ;  rabbits  and 
bears,  and  deer,  and  horses,  and  Indians  bringing  in 
deer,  and  little  prairie  dogs,  and  they  would  look  al- 
most like  they  were  really  'live,  sure-enough  animals, 
only  they  were  all  the  color  of  the  clay.  One  day  he 
made  a  buffalo,  and  took  some  black  wool  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  the  old  black  sheep,  and  stuck 
it  over  the  buffalo,  and  pulled  some  out  into  threads 
and  made  him  a  little  tail,  and  cut  little  horns  out 
of  pieces  of  burnt  wood,  and  stuck  beads  in  his  head 
for  eyes,  and  he  looked  just  as  much  like  a  little  buf- 
falo as  could  be. 

The  young  lady  who  was  teaching  school  saw  it  at 
our  house  one  day,  and  when  she  found  Nasho  had 
made  it  she  said,  he  must  come  down  to  her  boarding- 
house  on  Saturdays  and  she  would  show  him  how  to 
make  such  things  in  wax,  which  was  better  to  keep 
than  the  clay,  and  she  would  teach  him  to  color  them 
too.  Uncle  said  he  might  go,  and  Nasho  was  so  proud 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         23 

he  used  to  work  hard  at  nights  and  spare  times,  mak- 
ing quirts  out  of  rawhide,  and  bridle-reins  out  of  black 
and  white  horse-hair  twisted  up  together  so  that  they 
looked  real  pretty,  that  he  might  make  some  money 
to  give  his  teacher  to  buy  wax  and  paints  for  him. 
He  learned  so  fast  that  she  was  very  proud  of  him, 
and  loved  to  teach  him.  One  day  not  long  after  he 
had  got  well  so  that  he  could  go  about  as  well  as  any- 
body, Nasho  asked  Uncle  to  let  him  and  me  go  to 
the  place  where  the  Indians  had  left  their  bows  and 
arrows,  and  get  them.  Uncle  wouldn't  let  us  go  then, 
but  about  a  month  afterward  he  said  we  might. 
The  place  where  they  were  was  about  thirty-five  miles 
from  Uncle's,  so  that  it  would  take  us  all  day  to  get 
there,  and  we  would  have  to  camp  out  one  night,  but 
Nasho  said  he  knew  the  way  perfectly  well,  and  it 
was  in  the  dark  of  the  moon  when  the  Indians  don't 
come  down  into  the  settlements,  and  besides  there 
was  a  party  of  Rangers  scouting  in  the  country  above 
us,  so  Uncle  didn't  think  we  would  be  in  any  danger. 
He  believes  in  boys  learning  to  do  for  themselves. 
I  thought  when  we  started  it  would  be  a  very  easy 
matter  to  go  to  the  thicket  where  they  had  been  left 
and  pick  them  up ;  but  after  riding  all  day  over  so 
many  hills  and  through  so  many  thickets  and  hol- 
lows that  were  so  much  alike,  I  began  to  wonder  how 
Nasho  would  be  able  to  find  his  way  without  any 
trail  to  go  by,  and  even  if  he  went  right  and  got  with- 
in a  mile  of  it,  how  he  could  tell  the  exact  bush  in 
which  they  were  hidden. 


24  LIVE    BOYS. 

I  remember  once  when  I  was  cow-hunting  I  found 
a  little  fawn  in  a  bush  where  its  mother  had  hidden  it. 
I  didn't  have  time  then  to  stop  and  get  it,  but  I  thought 
I  would  as  I  went  back  home,  so  I  marked  the  place 
so  closely  by  the  trees  and  bushes  and  rocks  around 
it  that  I  thought  I  could  come  right  back  to  it  without 
any  trouble.  About  half  an  hour  afterward  I  met  the 
rest  of  the  boys,  and  they  sent  me  back  to  the  pen  to 
take  a  horse  they  had  found  and  caught.  I  was  glad 
to  go,  because  I  could  get  my  fawn  and  take  him  home  ; 
but  when  I  got  to  the  place  I  looked  everywhere  but 
I  never  could  find  the  bush  where  I  had  left  it.  So  I 
thought  after  so  long  a  time,  and  when  he  had  never 
been  there  but  once,  the  chance  for  Nasho's  finding 
the  bush  was  not  a  very  good  one. 

But  he  did.  We  came  to  a  little  open  space  with 
thick  bushes  all  round  it,  and  pointing  to  one  that 
looked  to  me  just  like  all  the  rest,  he  said  the  bows 
and  arrows  were  in  there,  and  sure  enough  they  were. 
I  asked  him  how  he  knew  that  was  the  place.  He 
showed  me  three  young  trees  taller  than  the  bushes 
around  them,  and  about  the  same  distance  one  on 
each  side  and  the  other  on  the  farthest  side  ahead  of 
us.  In  the  middle  of  the  open  space  was  a  large 
rock  and  an  old  log  that  had  been  burned  almost  to 
charcoal  by  the  prairie  fires.  He  said  he  could  have 
found  the  bush  in  a  dark  night,  because  it  was  in  a 
line  with  the  black  log  and  the  north  star,  and  all  he 
would  have  to  do  was  to  go  straight  forward.  I 
asked  him  how  he  would  find  the  black  log  in  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         2$ 

night.  He  said  it  would  show  better  than  one  that 
wasn't  burnt,  and  besides  the  white  rock  would  show, 
and  he  could  find  it  from  that.  He  said  that  the  In- 
dians understood  such  things  so  well  that  when  the 
•one  who  was  ahead  stopped  there  and  put  his  bow 
and  arrows  in  the  bush,  they  did  so  too  without  ask- 
ing him  any  questions.  They  just  looked  round  and 
.">aw  the  rock  and  log  and  the  trees,  and  knew  that 
'/vas  the  reason  he  had  picked  that  place  because  it 
'  'ould  be  easy  to  find  again. 

I  asked  him  how  he  could  travel  so  straight.  He 
said  he  could  tell  by  the  way  the  sun  fell  on  his  shoul- 
der. If  he  went  to  far  too  the  right  it  would  fall  over 
his  right  shoulder  on  his  breast,  and  if  he  went  too 
far  to  the  left  it  would  fall  over  his  left  shoulder,  but 
he  would  know  the  way  anyhow  if  the  sun  wasn't 
shining.  It  is  strange  how  animals  can  travel  so 
straight ;  I  know  once  Uncle  sold  an  old  steer  to  a 
drover  and  he  drove  him  off,  and  about  six  months 
afterward  he  came  back.  The  next  spring  the  drover 
came  back  to  buy  more  cattle  and  knew  the  steer 
when  he  saw  him,  and  said  he  got  away  from  them 
in  Indian  Territory,  more  than  three  hundred  miles 
above  there.  I  know  if  you  take  a  horse  away  from 
where  he  was  raised  he  will  often  get  away  and  go 
right  back  to  his  old  home  as  straight  as  a  bee. 

Well,  the  bows  and  arrows  and  shields  were  all 
there.  The  bows  were  made  of  bois  d'arc  wood,  and 
the  strings  of  silk.  Nasho  said  the  Indians  used  to 
use  the  sinews  of  deer,  but  they  were  not  good  in  wet 


26  LIVE    BOYS. 

weather,  because  they  would  get  soft  and  stretch. 
Now  they  buy  their  strings  from  the  Mexicans.  The 
bows  were  about  four  feet  and  half  long,  with  a  notch 
at  each  end  to  fasten  the  string  to.  One  of  them 
was  wrapped  from  the  middle  half  way  to  each  end 
with  sinews.  Nasho'  said  that  made  it  a  great  deal 
stronger  and  stiffer,  and  it  would  shoot  farther  and 
harder. 

The  arrows  were  made  of  young  dog-wood  shoots 
scraped  smooth  and  even,  and  feathered  near  the 
notch  with  three  feathers  so  they  would  go  straight. 
Most  of  the  feathers  were  buzzards'.  Nasho  said 
without  the  feathers  they  wouldn't  shoot  straight  or 
far  at  all.  They  had  flat,  sharp  spikes  stuck  in  the  end 
and  wrapped  with  small  sinews  so  they  wouldn't  come 
out  when  they  were  shot  into  any  thing.  There  were 
about  forty  arrows  to  each  bow,  in  a  long  case  made 
of  raw-hide,  with  the  hair  on,  and  with  straps  to  go 
over  the  shoulder  and  carry  them  by.  Nasho's  bow 
wasn't  as  long  or  as  hard  to  bend  as  the  others,  be- 
cause he  was  only  a  boy.  We  couldn't  either  of  us 
bend  the  bow  with  the  sinews  wrapped  round  it.  He 
seemed  very  glad  to  get  his  bow  and  arrows  again, 
and  said  he  would  make  me  one  like  it. 

The  lances  were  straight  little  poles  about  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  through  and  eight  feet  long,  with 
long  sharp  spikes  in  the  end  a  foot  long,  and  half  an 
inch  wide  and  tapering  to  a  point.  Just  below  the 
spikes  they  had  feathers  and  leather  fringes  fastened 
to  them. 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IX  TEXAS.        2/ 

The  shields  were  made  of  two  hickory  sticks  about 
half  an  inch  through,  crossing  each  other  in  the  mid- 
dle, about  a  foot  and  half  long  and  covered  tight  with 
two  thicknesses  of  bull  hide  stretched  over  the  sticks 
and  fastened  by  strings.  On  the  inside  they  had  t\vo 
loops  to  "run  the  arm  through  to  hold  them  by.  All 
round  the  edges  they  had  leather  fringes  and  feathers 
and  twisted  strings  of  hair.  Then  there  were  little 
bags  of  buckskin  with  paints,  and  tobacco,  and  pipes, 
and  other  little  things.  They  had  strings  to  go  round 
the  waist.  Nasho  said  they  were  medicine  bags. 

It  was  nearly  night,  so  we  went  back  to  a  little 
branch  where  there  was  some  wood  and  good  grass 
for  our  horses  and  made  our  camp.  Nasho  told  me 
to  make  a  fire  and  he  would  see  if  he  couldn't  shoot 
something  for  our  supper.  I  got  dry  leaves  and  broke 
some  little  sticks  over  them  and  then  some  larger 
ones,  and  touched  a  match  to  it,  and  we  soon  had  a 
bright  little  fire,  and  pretty  soon  Nasho  came  back 
with  two  partridges  and  a  rabbit.  He  said  one  good 
thing  about  the  bow  and  arrow  was  that  they  didn't 
make  any  noise.  We  were  down  in  a  little  open  hol- 
low all  surrounded  with  bushes,  so  that  no  one  would 
be  likely  to  find  us  ;  but  if  he  had  shot  a  gun  anyone 
within  a  mile  of  us  would  have  heard  it,  and  known 
somebody  was  there,  and  the  sound  would  have  told 
them  where  to  look  for  us. 

Nasho  said  he  had  known  an  Indian  to  kill  a  buffalo 
with  a  single  arrow. 

We  cooked  the  birds  and  part  of  the  rabbit,  and 


28  LIVE    BOYS. 

some  bacon,  and  with  Auntie's  nice  bread  made  a  fine 
supper.  I  asked  Nasho  if  we  had  not  better  put  up 
our  horses  before  we  went  to  sleep,  but  he  said  no, 
he  would  wake  up  after  awhile  and  bring  them  in, 
and  we  spread  down  our  blankets  and  went  to  sleep. 
I  didn't  wake  up  till  morning,  but  when  he  called  me 
I  found  our  horses  hobbled  close  to  the  camp.  He  had 
woke  up  at  the  right  time  and  brought  them  in  as 
he  said  he  would.  It  is  strange  to  me  how  he  could 
wake  up  just  when  he  wanted  to,  but  he  said  the  In- 
dians always  could. 

Nasho  said  if  I  would  cook  breakfast  he  would  see 
if  he  could  kill  something  with  his  bow  and  arrow. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  cook  the  rest  of  the  rab- 
bit, broil  some  bacon  on  a  forked  stick  and  make  a 
pot  of  coffee,  and  I  had  done  that  and  was  wishing 
Nasho  would  comeback  when  I  saw  him  coming  with  a 
load  of  meat  on  his  back  which  I  knew  by  the  hair  was 
venison.  When  he  threw  his  load  down  by  the  camp 
fire  I  found  he  had  two  venison  hams  and  the  saddle. 
He  said  he  walked  quietly  down  the  hollow  keeping  a 
good  look-out,  as  he  knew  deer  would  be  moving 
towards  higher  ground  and  the  open  prairie,  and  pretty 
soon  he  saw  a  buck's  horns  through  the  bushes. 
There  wasn't  any  wind  blowing,  so  he  looked  to  see 
where  the  bushes  were  thickest,  and  getting  on  that 
side  got  down  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  crept  up 
carefully  so  as  not  to  make  any  noise.  When  the 
deer  would  put  down  his  head  to  feed  he  would  crawl 
along  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  whenever  he  would 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         2<) 

raise  it  he  would  keep  just  as  still  as  a  stick  until  he 
began  to  feed  again.  Sometimes  the  deer  would  walk 
several  steps  before  he  would  take  another  bite,  and 
sometimes  he  would  bite  the  leaves  of  the  bushes,  and 
he  would  be  afraid  to  move  because  the  deer  could 
hear  or  see  him  so  much  more  easily  when  his  head 
was  raised  this  way.  He  began  to  think  he  would 
never  get  near  enough  for  a  shot,  for  the  deer  trav- 
elled away  from  him  nearly  as  fast  as  he  could  crawl 
towards  him  ;  but  while  the  deer  was  feeding  longer 
than  usual  he  got  up  in  about  twenty  yards  and  raised 
up  on  his  knees,  and  when  the  deer  raised  his  head 
he  sent  an  arrow  into  him  just  behind  the  shoulder. 
The  deer  gave  one  high  jump,  and  fell,  and  when  he 
ran  up  he  found  him  lying  perfectly  still.  He  cut  his 
throat  and  then  looked  to  see  where  he  was  shot,  and 
found  the  arrow  had  gone  right  through  his  heart. 
As  he  could  not  carry  all  of  the  deer,  he  cut  off  the 
hind  quarters,  skin  and  all,  and  then  cut  out  the  raddle, 
which  is  the  backbone  with  the  ribs  on  both  sides, 
and  then  after  getting  his  arrow  out,  threw  his  meat 
on  his  back  and  came  to  camp.  The  hind  quarters 
of  a  deer,  which  are  called  the  hams,  are  the  best  part 
to  make  venison  steaks  of,  and  the  back  or  ribs  are 
the  best  to  stew  or  roast. 

We  put  some  of  the  ribs  on  a  forked  stick  to  cook  for 
breakfast.  While  they  were  cooking  and  we  were  eat- 
ing the  bread  and  bacon  and  drinking  our  black  coffee, 
Nasho  told  me  that  an  Indian  hardly  ever  failed  to  get 
a  deer  when  he  saw  him  before  the  deer  had  caught 


30  LIVE    BOYS. 

sight  of  him.  He  said  the  reason  was  because  he 
was  never  in  a  hurry.  When  he  started  out  to  hunt 
he  noticed  what  kind  of  weather  it  was.  If  it  was  a 
bright  clear  day  and  not  hot,  the  deer  were  more  apt 
to  be  in  the  open  prairies  or  on  the  edge  of  the  woods. 
If  it  was  warm  and  in  the  spring  of  the  year  they 
were  very  apt  to  be  in  low,  marshy  places  to  keep  the 
heel  flies  off  of  them.  In  summer  they  liked  thick 
shady  woods  where  they  could  lie  down  in  the  sand, 
and  in  winter  they  went  to  the  hollows  and  ravines 
where  the  bushes  would  keep  the  wind  off  of  them. 
If  the  wind  was  blowing  ever  so  little,  the  Indian 
hunter  always  kept  on  the  lee  side  of  where  he  ex- 
pected to  find  his  game.*  When  he  found  game  he 
was  never  in  a  hurry,  but  taking  care  to  keep  on  the 
right  side  he  watched  his  chance  and  crept  up  when- 
ever he  could  until  he  got  close  enough  for  a  shot 
If  the  deer  lay  down  in  a  place  where  he  could  not 
creep  up  to  him,  the  hunter  would  lie  down  until  he 
got  up  again.  If  the  deer  saw  him  and  ran  off,  he 
would  not  follow  directly  behind  him,  but  would  make 
a  long  circuit,  keeping  on  the  lee  side  of  the  course  he 
thought  the  deer  would  take  and  come  upon  it  from 
a  different  direction.  He  said  he  had  known  an  In- 
dian, when  game  was  very  scarce,  to  follow  the  track 
of  a  bear  or  an  elk  two  days  before  coming  up  with  it. 

*  The  lee  side  is  the  side  to  which  the  wind  blows.  If  the 
wind  blows  from  the  north,  the  hunter  must  keep  on  the  south 
side  of  his  game ;  if  from  the  south,  he  must  keep  on  the  north 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.         3! 

He  said  white  men  were  in  too  much  of  a  hurry,  es- 
pecially in  the  settlements  where  they  didn't  have 
much  time  to  hunt,  and  if  they  didn't  kill  any  thing 
there  would  be  plenty  to  eat  at  home  when  they 
got  back ;  but  the  Indian  knew  if  he  didn't  kill  his 
game  neither  he  nor  his  squaw  or  pappooses  would 
have  any  thing  to  eat,  so  when  he  found  garie  or  the 
track  of  game,  he  had  nothing  else  to  think  about  but 
how  to  kill  it,  whether  it  took  him  an  hour  or  two 
days,  and  in  the  end  he  hardly  ever  failed  to  kill  it.  I 
believe  Nasho  is  right  about  that.  When  a  man 
hasn't  got  but  one  thing  to  do,  he  is  pretty  sure  to 
think  all  the  time  about  that,  and  he  learns  how  to  do 
it  better  than  'most  anybody  else  ;  but  if  he  tries  to  do 
half  a  dozen  things  he  is  most  apt  not  to  do  any  of 
them  well. 

I  asked  Nasho  how  the  Indians  took  care  of  their 
meat  after  they  killed  it,  and  he  said  sometimes  they 
cut  it  into  long,  thin  strips  and  hung  it  on  strings  of 
hide  or  lariats  to  dry  in  the  sun.  This  took  about 
three  days.  Then  they  laid  the  strips  close  together 
and  tied  hide  strings  around  them  so  as  to  make  just 
as  tight  a  bundle  as  they  could,  and  these  bundles 
they  could  easily  carry  on  their  horses  when  they 
moved.  In  the  fall  or  early  in  the  winter,  when  they 
killed  buffalo  for  their  winter's  meat,  the  squaws  cut 
up  the  meat  and  hung  it  up  around  the  fires  and  in 
the  sun  until  it  got  perfectly  hard  and  dry.  The  fat 
they  cut  off  and  melted  down  in  their  kettles.  Then 
they  took  the  hard,  dry  meat,  and  pounded  it  between 


32  LIVE    BOYS. 

rocks  until  it  was  in  a  kind  of  powder.  They  made 
rawhide  bags,  turning  the  flesh  side  of  the  hide  in, 
and  put  in  a  lot  of  the  pounded  meat,  packing  it  just 
as  tight  as  they  could.  Then  they  poured  in  some 
melted  fat,  then  more  pounded  meat  and  more  fat, 
until  it  was  full.  Sometimes,  when  they  could  get 
berries,  they  would  pick  a  great  many  and  mix  them 
with  the  meat  and  fat  to  make  it  taste  better.  When 
these  bags  were  full  they  were  sewed  up  with  sinews 
or  tanned  buckskin,  and  were  heavy  and  solid,  and 
could  be  handled  just  like  bags  of  corn  or  cotton.  I 
asked  him  if  they  did  not  put  any  salt  in  their  meat, 
;md  he  said  no.  Indians  do  not  like  salt. 

He  said,  too,  nearly  all  the  work  of  putting  up  their 
meat  was  done  by  the  squaws,  and  they  had  to  dress 
the  hides  to  make  clothing  and  robes  to  sleep  on,  and 
for  tents.  He  said  it  would  take  two  weeks  and 
sometimes  a  month  to  dress  a  large  buffalo  hide  very 
soft  and  smooth,  keeping  the  fur  on.  The  best  hides 
to  dress  were  those  killed  in  November  and  Decem- 
ber. The  buffalo  were  generally  fat  then  and  their 
hair  was  thick  and  fine  ;  but  in  the  winter,  when  they 
got  poor,  it  was  course  and  rough,  and  in  spring, 
after  they  shed  off,  it  was  thin  and  rough  and  not  fit 
for  fine  robes.  The  Indians  once  used  skins  entirely 
for  their  clothing  and  to  sleep  on,  but  now  they  sell 
their  robes  and  buy  clothing  and  blankets,  and  some- 
times tent-cloth,  though  most  of  them  would  rather 
have  buffalo  skins  for  tents.  The  Indians  that  live  in 
the  woods  make  their  wigwams  of  bark  and  brush,  or 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS  33 

they  buy  axes  and  hatchets  from  the  whites  and  make 
log  house  like  the  whites,  but  the  Indians  that  live  on 
the  prairies  live  in  tents.  They  cut  eight  or  ten  small 
poles  about  ten  feet  long  and  place  them  in  a  circle 
with  their  tops  coming  together.  Then  they  take 
the  tent  covering,  in  which  there  are  several  skins 
carefully  sewed  together,  and  which  have  been  put 
together  so  as  to  just  cover  the  tent  poles,  and  wrap 
it  around  the  poles,  leaving  a  small  open  space  at  the 
top  for  the  smoke  to  get  out,  and  at  the  bottom  a  flap 
which  can  be  thrown  to  one  side  to  make  a  door,  or 
pulled  over  the  hole  to  keep  out  the  wind  entirely. 
The  covering  is  fastened  by  wrapping  a  rawhide  strap 
carefully  around  it  and  the  poles,  and  fastening  its 
end  to  a  stick  driven  into  the  ground,  or  a  tree  or 
bush.  It  seems  like  a  very  light  house,  but  it  keeps 
out  the  cold  and  rain,  and  the  wind  cannot  blow  it 
down.  When  they  move,  the  covering  is  taken  off, 
the  small  ends  of  the  poles  are  fastened  on  each  side 
of  a  pony,  and  the  large  ends  left  to  drag  on  the 
ground,  and  on  them  the  squaws  put  their  tent  cover- 
ing, their  few  dishes  and  pots,  their  clothing,  blankets, 
provisions,  little  Indians,  puppies,  and  any  thing  else 
they  may  have,  and  either  ride  the  pony  or  walk  and 
lead  him,  while  the  Indian  hunter  rides  ahead  without 
troubling  himself  about  moving.  These  poles,  weighed 
down  by  the  loads  on  them,  drag  heavily  on  the 
ground  and  make  a  broad  and  plain  trail,  and  when- 
ever this  is  seen  it  is  known  at  once  that  they  are 
not  on  the  warpath,  for  the  warriors  never  take  their 
3 


34  LIVE    BOYS. 

squaws  and  lodges  with  them  on  a  war  expedition. 
Nasho  used  to  tell  me  a  great  many  things  about  the 
Indians  when  we  were  off  that  way  by  ourselves,  that 
were  very  interesting  to  me,  more  so  than  any  book 
I  have  ever  read  about  them. 

When  we  had  finished  our  breakfast,  we  packed  the 
hams  and  the  saddle  of  venison  carefully  on  our 
horses,  and  the  skin,  and  started  for  home.  Uncle 
was  glad  to  see  us  back  again,  and  Auntie  gave  us 
some  real  nice  venison  steaks  next  morning  for  break- 
fast. 


CHAPTER  III. 


GOING  TO  SCHOOL. WORK  ON  THE   FARM.  —  CLEARING 

UP. A  COON  HUNT    IN  WHICH  CHARLEY   AND    NASHO 

TREE    BIG  GAME. KILLING  A  PANTHER. 

K^HE  first  of  November  me  and  Nasho  was  going 
•    to  school.     We  didn't  like  to  go  to  school  much, 
auso  wo  had  rather  be  out  of  doors  on  horseback 
iting  cattle,  or  helping  clear  the  field,  piling  the 
cornstalks  into  long  piles  and  setting  fire  to  them  and 
watching  the  rats  run  out  when  it  got  too  hot  for 
them,  and  eating  the  nubbins  of  corn  that  had  been 
left  and  were  roasted  by  the  fire.     Sometimes  a  rab- 
bit would  dart  out  and  the  dogs  would  have  a  chase. 
They  nearly  always  ran  it  into  a  hollow  stump  or  tree 
where  we  could  twist  it  out,  and  Auntie  was  very  willing 
to  have  a  Molly  Cottontail  for  dinner.      Auntie  cooks 
them  very  nice,  but  I  had  rather  broil  one  on  the  coals, 
or  on  a  forked  stick  in  the  woods  than  have  it  any 
other  way. 

We  used  to  go  coon  and  possum  hunting  too  at 
nights.  Nobody  in  the  settlement  had  as  good  coon 
dogs  as  Bose  and  Trailer.  If  ever  Trailer  got  his  black 
nose  down  where  a  coon  had  been  along  that  night,  he 


36  LIVE    BOYS. 

was  sure  to  find  the  tree  where  he  went  up,  and  when 
Bose  and  Trailer  treed  we  were  pretty  sure  to  catch 
the  varmint.  Nasho  and  me  were  both  good  climbers, 
though  he  could  beat  me  a  little.  Sometimes  when 
they  would  tree  up  a  tall  slim  tree  that  didn't  have 
any  branches  for  a  long  way  up,  Nasho  would  take  a 
strong  rawhide  strap  and  fasten  around  his  waist  and 
the  tree,  but  so  as  to  give  him  plenty  of  room  to  move, 
and  then  leaning  back  and  throwing  his  weight  against 
the  strap  he  would  work  his  way  up  by  jerks  until  he 
reached  the  limbs.  Then  he  would  take  off  his  strap 
and  climb  by  the  limbs.  I  could  not  climb  by  the 
strap,  but  when  there  were  limbs  I  could  go  anywhere 
Nasho  could.  Sometimes  a  coon  would  run  up  a  great 
big  tree  and  we  would  have  to  let  him  go.  Possums 
are  the  hardest  to  get  down.  They  get  way  out  on  a 
little  limb  that  won't  bear  your  weight  and  twist  their 
tails  around  it,  and  you  have  to  shake  until  you  are  out 
of  breath  before  you  can  shake  him  loose.  We  used  to 
carry  a  small,  sharp  hatchet  with  us,  and  when  a  possum 
tried  that  dodge  the  one  that  went  up  the  tree  would 
take  the  hatchet  with  him  and  cut  the  limb  off,  but 
even  then  sometimes  the  possum  would  catch  another 
limb  as  he  was  coming  down,  and  there  would  be  more 
cutting  to  do.  Possums  can't  fight,  but  coons  can. 
One  night  a  great  big  coon  fell  into  the  water  and  he 
whipped  all  the  other  dogs  off,  but  old  Bose  swum  up 
and  jumping  at  him  right  quick,  caught  him  by  the 
throat,  and  brought  him  out.  Trailer  is  the  best  trail 
dog,  but  Bose  is  the  best  fighter. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS. 


One  night  Nasho  and  me  were  lying  on  a  pile  of  dry 
leaves  waiting  for  the  dogs  to  find  something,  and 
Nasho  was  telling  me  about  digging  out  prairie  dogs, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  we  heard  Trailer  and  Bose  both 
sing  out  loud  and  fast,  and  we  knew  something  was 
up.  We  jumped  up  and  ran  as  hard  as  we  could  go 
toward  the  sound.  It  was  coming  right  toward  us,  and 
directly  Nasho  jumped  behind  a  big  tree  and  called  to 
me  low  to  come  to. him.  He  said  we  would  wait  till 
the  dogs  came  up,  that  that  wasn't  any  coon,  for  the 
dogs  never  barked  that  way  on  a  coon  trail,  and 
Bose  never  barked  at  all,  and  now  he  was  yelping 
like  he  wanted  to  split  his  throat.  We  listened  to 
hear  if  any  thing  was  coming,  but  there  was  no  noise 
though  the  weather  was  dry,  and  the  dry  leaves  crackled 
every  time  any  thing  stepped  on  them.  Presently 
we  heard  something  jump  on  the  other  side  of  the  very 
tree  we  were  standing  against  and  scatch,  scratch, 
scratch,  it  went  up  the  tree  as  fast  as  a  squirrel.  The 
dogs  came  up  in  full  cry,  and  stopping  at  the  foot  of 
the  tree  began  barking  like  they  were  crazy.  Nasho 
ran  out  from  under  the  tree  and  I  followed  him,  not 
knowing  what  was  the  matter,  but  when  we  were  out 
of  reach  he  said.  "  Panther :  look  out,  he  jump 
heap." 

We  began  walking  around  trying  to  catch  sight  of 
the  panther  against  the  moonlight,  and  directly  Nasho 
pointed  up  to  something  dark  lying  close  along  a 
limb.  It  looked  more  like  a  bunch  of  moss  than  any 
thing  else,  but  Nasho  said  : — 


38  LIVE    COYS. 

"  See  him  eyes  shine,"  and  getting  round  a  little 
farther  I  saw  his  eyes  shining  like  green  glass.  I 
asked  Nasho  what  we  must  do,  and  he  said — "  Me 
stay  here  and  watch  him  ;  you  go  and  get  Mr.  Zanco 
with  gun.  Make  haste,  so  he  no  jump  out." 

I  asked  him  if  he  wasn't  afraid  to  stay  there  by 
himself,  but  he  said,  "  No,  hurry  back  heap  quick." 

It  was  a  mile  to  the  house  and  I  didn't  much  like  to 
go  by  myself  through  the  woods,  without  even  a  dog ; 
but  I  thought  if  he  could  stay  there  and  watch  the 
panther  I  could  go  to  the  house,  and  I  started  on  a 
run.  I  was  used  to  being  in  the  wood  a  great  deal  by 
myself,  but  not  at  night,  and  I  got  scared  a  heap  of 
times  before  I  got  there.  Once  I  ran  almost  on  to  a 
cow  before  I  saw  her,  and  how  I  jumped  and  hollered 
when  she  sprang  up  right  before  me.  Another  time 
a  horse  jumped  out  of  some  bushes  right  close  to  me, 
and  I  thought  sure  it  was  a  panther.  I  saw  a  black, 
thick,  low  something  right  ahead  me  and  as  I  thought 
in  the  path,  and  I  felt  sure  it  was  a  bear  and  that  he 
would  be  sure  to  catch  me.  My  heart  was  in  my 
throat  as  I  came  closer  to  it,  but  it  didn't  move,  and 
when  I  found  it  was  only  a  black  stump,  wasn't  I 
glad,  I  felt  as  light  as  a  feather  and  wanted  to  sing, 
but  I  didn't  have  breath  enough,  and  I  was  afraid  if 
I  made  a  noise  some  varmint  would  hear  it  and  come 
after  me.  I  think  'most  any  boy  would  have  been 
scared. 

I  ran  into  Auntie's  room  so  out  of  breath  I  could 
hardly  speak.  "  Oh,  Uncle  !  the  dogs  have  treed  a 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        39 


great  big  panther,  and  Nasho  is  watching  him  :  wont 
you  take  the  gun  and  come  and  shoot  him  —  quick 
Uncle,  please,  before  he  gets  away.  He  run  up  the 
tree  we  was  standing  against  and  is  way  out  on  a  top 
limb.  Make  haste  Uncle,  please." 

Uncle  put  up  his  book  and  took  down  his  rifle,  and 
went  into  the  kitchen  and  got  his  big  butcher-knife 
and  we  started.  I  thought  he  was  very  slow  and 
wanted  to  run,  but  he  said  we  had  just  as  well  save 
our  breath,  that  the  panther  wasn't  apt  to  jump 
out  with  the  dogs  under  the  tree,  and  if  he  did  they 
would  soon  run  him  up  another. 

"  But  Uncle,  he  may  jump  out  and  catch  Nasho, 
before  the  dogs  can  get  to  him." 

I  wasn't  really  much  afraid  of  his  hurting  Nasho, 
but  I  wanted  to  hurry  Uncle  up. 

"  Never  you  fear  about  Nasho,  Charley.  He  knows 
how  to  take  care  of  himself  and  besides,  the  panther 
don't  want  to  catch  him.  He  is  a  great  deal  more 
likely  to  run  from  him.  Save  your  breath,  my  boy, 
you  may  need  it  after  we  get  there.  Never  hurry 
when  there  is  no  need  for  it.  You  will  have  use  for 
all  your  breath  before  you  get  through  the  world.  Be 
quick  when  quickness  is  needed,  but  better  be  steady 
than  fast." 

Uncle  pretended  to  be  very  easy  about  it,  but  I 
noticed  he  stepped  up  quicker  than  usual  and  we 
wasn't  long  in  getting  there.  Nasho  was  sitting 
quietly  on  the  end  of  a  log  watching  up  the  tree,  and 
as  I  ran  up  ho  put  up  his  finger,  as  he  always  did 


4O  LIVE    BOYS. 

when  he  wanted  me  to  be  still,  and  said  in  a  low  voice. 
— "  No  scare  him,  he  there  yet,"  I  looked  and  sure 
enough  he  hadn't  moved,  but  lay  there  like  a  bunch 
of  moss.  I  pointed  him  out  to  Uncle  as  he  came  up 
to  us,  but  he  seemed  to  think  it  wasn't  a  panther  but 
only  a  limb  of  the  tree  that  had  crossed  over  another 
one.  After  looking  carefully  he  said  : 

"  I  believe  you  boys  have  been  fooled.  I  don't  see 
any  thing  but  a  limb  of  a  tree." 

Nasho  moved  a  little  to  one  side  and  pointing  up 
said  : — 

"  Tree  no  got  eyes." 

The  moon  shone  bright  through  a  hole  among  the 
leaves  and  moss,  and  his  eyes  glistened  almost  like 
fire. 

"You  are  right,  Nasho,  my  boy!  trees  don't  have 
eyes,  and  there  are  a  pair  up  there  that  belong  to  a 
cat,  if  ever  a  cat  has  green  eyes." 

He  bent  his  head  and  raised  his  gun  to  look  at  the 
lock,  when  Nasho  jerked  him  by  the  coat  and  hol- 
lered:— 

"  Him  coming,  Mr.  Zanco — run." 

The  way  we  all  got  out  from  under  that  tree  !  The 
panther  came  down  right  where  Uncle  had  been 
standing,  and  catching  his  claw  in  his  coat  before  he 
could  get  out  of  the  way,  jerked  him  to  the  ground 
lighting  'most  on  top  of  him.  Bose  and  Trailer  was 
on  the  panther  in  a  second,  and  all  of  them  seemed  to 
be  on  top  of  Uncle.  The  panther  jerked  h.rnself  loose 
from  the  dogs,  hit  Trailer  a  slap  with  one  oi  his  paws 


CHARLEV    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  4! 

that  cut  a  gash  in  his  head  as  clean  as  if  done  with 
a  knife,  and  was  off  full  jump  through  the  wood. 
Uncle  scrambled  up  fast  I  tell  you.  Bose  was  right 
after  the  panther  and  Trailer  picked  himself  up  and 
away  he  went  after  Bose.  We  followed  as  fast  as  we 
could  go.  I  reckon  Uncle  forgot  about  not  being  in  a 
hurry,  for  me  and  Nasho  could  hardly  keep  up  with 
him.  They  didn't  go  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
before  the  dogs  treed  again,  and  in  two  minutes  we 
were  all  at  the  tree.  It  was  a  good  while  before  we 
could  find  him,  for  he  had  gone  up  a  big  burr  oak, 
that  hadn't  shed  all  its  leaves,  and  was  full  of  moss, 
but  pretty  soon  Nasho,  who  was  walking  round  quietly, 
said  :  "  See  him  eyes." 

"  Where  ?  "  said  Uncle.  Nasho  pointed  to  the 
spot,  and  in  a  minute  I  saw  Uncle  raise  his  gun, 
crack  !  went  the  rifle,  and  down  came  the  panther,  the 
dogs  were  on  him  in  a  second,  but  he  made  no  motion, 
and  Uncle  ran  up  and  drove  them  off.  He  was  stone 
dead,  shot  right  through  both  eyes.  We  dragged  him 
out  into  a  clear  place  in  the  moonlight  and  went  to 
work  skinning  him,  uncle  with  the  butcher-knife,  and 
me  and  Nasho  with  our  pocket-knives.  It  didn't  take  us 
all  long  to  strip  him.  I  asked  Uncle  to  let  me  and  Nasho 
carry  the  skin.  He  said  we  might  till  we  got  tired, 
and  cut  a  little  pole,  and  fastened  the  skin  on  it  so  it 
wouldn't  come  off,  and  we  started  home,  me  and  Nasho 
with  the  pole  on  our  shoulders.  It  was  a  long  time 
before  I  could  go  to  sleep  that  night,  thinking  about 
my  run  through  the  woods,  and  how  near  the  panther 


42  LIVE   BOYS. 

came  to  jumping  on  Uncle.  Auntie  has  that  panther 
skin  now  for  a  foot-rug,  and  it  makes  a  pretty  one  too. 
Uncle  rubbed  Trailer's  head  with  some  grease,  and  in 
two  or  three  days  he  was  well,  and  ready  as  ever  for 
another  panther  hunt.  I  don't  believe  any  of  us  will 
ever  forget  that  one. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TALK  ABOUT    THE    CENTENNIAL. "  LET'S  GO,  NASHO." 

PARSON  THEGLIN  SETS  CHARLEY  TO  THINKING. 

I  INTENDED  to  tell  last  time  about  how  we  came 
to  go,  but  got  to  talking  about  hunting  and  ran  off 
on  that  panther  hunt.  That's  always  the  way  with 
me.  At  school,  when  I  sit  down  to  study,  my  mind 
runs  off  first  on  one  thing  and  then  anothe-,  and  I 
forget  all  about  my  lesson.  It's  like  when  a  lot  of 
dogs  are  on  a  hunt,  the  young  ones  dodge  helter- 
skelter  everywhere,  and  run  over  the  trail  if  there  is 
one,  while  the  old  ones  come  along  quietly  and  pick  it 
up  and  stick  to  it  till  they  tree.  But  I  am  going  to 
tell  you  what  set  me  to  thinking  about  going  this  time. 
We  was  going  to  school,  me  and  Nasho,  and  of 
course  was  at  school  all  day,  for  we  took  our  dinners, 
but  at  night  there  wasn't  much  to  do,  and  I  used  to 
like  to  hear  Uncle  talk,  especially  if  any  visitor  or 
neighbor  came  in.  One  night  Parson  Theglin  staid 
with  Uncle — he  always  did  whenever  he  preached  in 
the  settlement,  and  slept  in  me  and  Nasho's  room, 
and  we  had  to  make  a  pallet  in  the  shed  ;  but  we 
didn't  care  for  that,  because  Auntie  always  gave  us 


44  LIVE    BOYS. 

plenty  of  bedclothes.  That  night  he  got  to  talking 
to  Uncle  about  the  Centennial.  I  believe  I  can  tell 
now  pretty  near  the  very  words  they  used,  for  I  used  to 
listen  to  them  very  close,  and  I  believe  boys  that  don't 
read  a  great  deal  recollect  things  of  that  kind  better 
than  those  that  do.  Right  after  supper  they  took 
their  seats  close  to  the  fire  with  their  pipes,  for  Uncle 
liked  to  smoke  as  well  as  the  preacher.  Auntie  was 
busy  clearing  up  the  table,  but  they  left  a  place  for 
her  in  one  corner  near  the  little  table  that  held  her 
work  basket  "nd  sewing,  ana  Nasho  and  me  was  in 
the  other  corner.  Parson  Theglin  began  : — 

"  Well,  brother  Zanco,  I  see  by  my  last  Presbyterian 
the  Centennial  seems  to  be  getting  along  right 
sharply.  Some  of  the  buildings  are  nearly  done,  and 
they  have  had  so  many  applications  for  room  that  they 
will  have  to  put  up  more  buildings,  annexes  they  call 
them — sort  of  wings,  I  reckon,  to  the  main  houses. 
And  it  seems  people  are  coming  from  the  four  quar- 
ters of  the  globe  to  show  what  they  make  and  sell 
in  their  countries.  Russia  at  last  has  got  over  her 
aristocracy  and  is  going  to  send,  and  the  Chinese,  and 
Turks,  and  Arabs,  and  Japanese,  and  people  from 
Australia — indeed  you  can  hardly  name  a  nation  that 
is  even  half  civilized  but  what  is  going  be  represented 
there." 

"  Yes,  brother  Theglin,  there  will  indeed  be  a  great 
gathering  as  you  say  from  all  quarters  of  the  world, 
and  a  big  show  of  this  world's  goods  they  will  make 
when  they  get  together.  I  suppose  if  a  man  had  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        45 

money  he  could  buy  a  pretty  fair  little  assortment  of 
what's  made  best  in  every  country  ;  for  I  reckon  every 
one  will  send  what  they  make  best.  I  was  at  the  Fair 
in  Saint  Antone  last  year,  and  there  was  some  fine 
things  there  and  a  pretty  lot  of  garden  truck  as  I  ever 
saw  for  the  fall  of  the  year — you  know  by  their  irriga- 
ting down  there  they  can  raise  things  any  time — but  I 
never  saw  one  single  farmer  that  had  an  average  show. 
One  had  some  corn  that  it  wouldn't  have  taken  more 
than  sixty  ears  to  make  a  bushel,  but  I  make  no  doubt 
his  crib  was  full  of  corn  that  would  take  a  hundred 
to  the  bushel.  It  didn't  seem  quite  fair  to  me.  What 
do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

"  It  seems  to  me  to  be  fair  enough  because  each 
man  comes  there  to  show  his  best.  He  says,  here  is 
what  I  have  done,  and  I  can  do  it  again.  It  won't  pay 
me  to  take  all  this  trouble  every  time,  because  most 
people  don't  want  such  fine  work,  or  rather  they  don't 
want  to  pay  for  it  ;  .but  if  any  of  you  that  see  this 
want  such  work,  you  see  that  I  can  do  it,  and  I  am 
ready  to  make  just  as  much  as  you  want.  And  it 
stirs  people  up  so  to  see  what  other  people  have  done. 
You  sec,  brother  Zanco,  most  people  have  got  just 
conceit  enough  to  think  that  they  can  do  'most  any 
thing  anybody  else  has  done.  The  wiser  ones  know 
they  can't  anymore  than  a  haw-tree  can  grow  to  be  as 
big  as  a  pecan  ;  but  they  see  that  they  can  do  better 
than  they  have  done,  and  they  try  and  keep  trying 
and  keep  improving  until  they  do  better  than  they 
first  thought  they  could.  I  never  go  to  Pay  nod  that 


46  LIVE    BOYS. 

hearing  our  best  preachers,  men  that  have  got  more 
brains  than  I  have,  and  more  of  other  men's  brains  in 
the  way  of  books  to  put  with  theirs,  and  don't  have  to 
spend  three  fourths  of  the  time  in  the  saddle  riding 
over  the  country,  and  then  when  they  get  home,  have 
the  cattle,  and  the  oxen,  and  the  pigs  to  look  after,  and 
help  put  up  the  winter's  bacon  and  maybe  take  a  turn 
at  clearing  up  the  field,  and  mending  the  fence,  taking 
up  all  the  time  in  the  day  and  getting  so  tired  that  they 
ain't  fit  to  study  at  night — I  never  hear  those  men  that 
don't  have  these  things  to  take  their  thoughts  and 
minds  off  of  the  glorious  word,  without  seeing  how  much 
better  preaching  can  be  made.  Putting  a  new  idea 
into  a  man's  head  is  like  putting  yeast  into  dough  ; 
it  stirs  up  every  thing  in  reach  of  it,  and  don't  wait  for 
things  to  come  in  reach  either  ;  it  goes  to  them.  Now 
it  seems  to  me  if  I  could  go  there  and  see  all  the  fine 
things  that  every  nation  has,  I  should  get  my  head 
full  of  ideas  that  would  last  me  a  long  time,  and  stir 
up  and  turn  around  my  old  musty,  fusty  ones  until 
they  would  be  nearly  as  good  as  new,  like  an  axe  with 
a  fresh  edge  put  on  it.  Of  course  a  man  hears  a  great 
deal  that  don'l  do  him  any  good  ;  but  he  can  throw  that 
away  and  take  only  what  does,  and  as  I  believe  that 
religion  has  to  do  with  every  thing  in  the  world,  and 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  it,  I  hold  that  I  would 
be  a  very  poor  observer  if  I  didn't  find  a  great  many 
things  that  would  help  to  make  my  sermons  better. 
In  the  first  place,  the  fact  that  all  these  different  peo- 
ple of  different  nations  come  here  with  their  property, 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        47 

shows  that  the  religion  of  Christ,  which  teaches  peace 
on  earth  and  good  will  to  all,  is  gaining  ground ;  for 
it  hasn't  been  many  hundred  years  since,  if  the  Chinese 
had  lauded  on  the  coast  of  California  with  their  fine 
silks  and  their  curious  works  of  every  kind,  they  would 
have  been  seized,  and  every  thing  they  had  taken 
away  from  them,  and  they  lucky  not  to  be  made  slaves 
of.  Of  course  nothing  of  this  kind  has  been  done  in 
the  United  States  since  the  Puritans  came  over ;  but 
it  was  done  by  the  Indians,  and  worse  than  that,  it 
was  done  by  Frenchmen  and  Spaniards  in  Florida, 
and  Louisiana  and  Texas,  and  Canada  and  wherever 
one  happened  to  get  the  better  of  the  other." 

But  I  won't  tell  any  more  they  said.  Auntie  came 
in  and  they  got  to  talking  about  what  would  be  there 
to  see,  and  the  strange  people,  with  their  curious 
clothes,  and  the  little  taverns  where  they  cooked  just 
as  they  did  at  home,  until  I  was  nearly  crazy  to  go 
and  see,  and  forgetting  all  about  where  I  was,  I  said 
right  out  loud  —  "  Let's  go,  Nasho." 

They  all  looked  around  at  me  so  straight  that  I  was 
ashamed,  and  was  going  to  creep  out  of  the  room,  but 
Parson  Theglin  stopped  me. 

"  And  you  would  really  like  to  go  to  the  Centennial, 
Charley?" 

Yes,  indeed  sir,  that  I  would ;  for  it  seems  to  me  I 
could  see  more  in  a  month  than  I  shall  in  all  the  rest 
of  my  life.  And  this  won't  be  but  once  ;  and  if  I 
don't  see  it  now  I  never  will  get  to  see  all  these 
things.  I  would  be  willing  to  work  for  anybody  three 


48  LIVE    BOYS. 

years  after  I  came  back,  if  they  would  take  me 
there  ?  " 

"  Are  you  not  big  enough  to  go  by  yourself  ?  " 

"Ail  by  myself !"  My  hair  'most  stood  up  just 
thinking  of  it. 

"  Yes,  by  yourself.  Smaller  boys  than  you  are  have 
travelled  farther,  and  girls  too,  as  to  that  matter.  Don't 
you  know  there  are  angels  whose  special  business  it 
is  to  look  after  little  boys  and  girls,  especially  those 
that  do  right.  I'll  warrant  you  if  you  had  the  money 
you  could  make  your  way  there  easily  enough,  and 
take  care  of  yourself  after  you  got  there,  and  see  all 
there  was  to  be  seen  too.  Do  you  think  anybody 
will  give  you  the  money  to  go  on  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  believe  Uncle  or  Auntie  either  would 
if  they  had  it  to  spare  ;  but  Uncle  has  a  heap  to  do  to 
take  care  of  me  here  at  home,  and  send  me  to  school, 
me  and  Nasho.  And  I  ain't  got  any  other  kinf oiks  or 
friends." 

"  But  you  really  want  to  go !  " 

"That  I  do,  sir.  If  Uncle  and  Auntie  was  willing 
and  anybody  would  show  me  how  to  go,  wouldn't  I 
begin  about  it  quick !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  about  —  where  there  is  a  will, 
there  is  a  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir.  I  had  that  once  for  my  copy  at 
school.  But  that  means  for  men  and  common  things, 
and  not  boys  and  big  things  like  this ! " 

"  Don't  you  expect  to  be  a  man  some  day  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         49 

"  But  how  are  you  going  to,  unless  you  begin.  A 
man  is  nothing  but  an  older,  grown  up  boy.  Sup- 
pose you  were  to  sit  in  the  house  all  day  every  day, 
do  you  think  you  would  grow  much  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  And  don't  you  think  you  \vould  be  weak  and 
feeble,  not  strong  enough  to  work,  and  not  know  how 
to  ride  and  drive  cattle,  or  climb  trees,  or  plant  corn, 
or  feed  the  hogs  and  cattle,  or  do  any  thing  ?  Do  you 
remember  how  you  learned  to  ride  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  well  enough.  Uncle  put  me  on  old  Ball, 
and  I  was  so  afraid  I  cried  at  first.  It  didn't  seem 
to  me  like  I  could  sit  still,  and  I  thought  if  he  moved 
I  would  fall  off,  and  he  would  step  on  me  or  kick  me, 
and  Uncle  ought  not  to  have  put  me  on  him.  But 
when  Uncle  led  him  around  I  held  tight  to  the  horn 
of  the  saddle  and  found  I  could  stick  on,  and  felt  very 
proud,  though  I  was  scared  all  that  ride.  After  one 
or  two  times  Uncle  made  him  trot,  and  I  was  worse 
scared  than  before,  at  his  bouncing  up  and  down,  but 
I  only  held  the  tighter  to  the  saddle  and  I  found  I 
could  stick  to  him.  And  when  I  learned  to  stick  to 
him  when  he  trotted  hard  and  fast,  Uncle  put  me  on 
by  myself  and  gave  me  the  reins  and  showed  me  how 
to  guide  him,  and  it  wasn't  long  before  I  could  gallop 
him  without  being  afraid  of  falling.  And  I  was  glad 
then  that  Uncle  didn't  take  me  off  the  first  time  when 
I  was  so  scared,  but  kept  me  on  until  I  learned  to 
ride,  for  I  like  to  ride  better  than  any  thing  else." 

"  Well,  you  learned  to  ride  by  using  the  muscles  of 
4 


5O  LIVE    BOYS. 

your  arms  and  legs,  and  you  never  could  have  learned 
without  it.  Do  you  think  anybody  else  could  have 
learned  for  you  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  know  they  couldn't  any  more  than  any- 
body could  learn  my  lessons  for  me." 

"  Well,  you  learned  to  walk  and  ride  by  using  your 
muscles.  Now  you  have  to  learn  your  lessons,  and 
you  will  have  to  learn  to  take  care  of  yourself,  and  get 
along  in  the  world  by  using  your  brains.  Do  you 
think  you  would  be  able  to  riJe  as  well  as  you  do 
now,  if  you  had  not  began  early  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  I  know  I  wouldn't." 

"  Neither  will  you  be  able  to  use  your  brains  well 
when  you  are  a  man  unless  you  begin  early.  And 
the  quicker  you  begin,  and  the  more  you  use  them, 
the  stronger  they  will  grow,  and  the  smarter  you  will 
be  when  you  are  a  man.  Just  remember  every  man 
was  a  boy  once,  and  had  every  thing  to  learn  for  him- 
self. A  man's  having  ten  thousand  dollars  does  not 
make  it  any  easier  for  his  son  to  learn  to  walk,  and 
he  cannot  walk  without  learning,  and  it  does  not 
make  it  any  easier  for  him  to  learn  his  A.  B.  C.'s,  or 
the  multiplication  table,  or  how  to  write,  and  he  will 
never  know  these  things  without  learning.  Now  I 
believe  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  you  to  go  to  the 
Centennial.  I  think  you  would  learn  more  there  in  a 
month  than  you  would  here  in  years,  and  you  can 
learn  here  besides,  after  you  come  back.  I  think  it 
would  start  your  brain  to  growing  and  you  would  begin 
to  use  it  more  than  you  have  ever  done,  and  would  learn 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  51 

to  use  it  to  some  purpose.  In  short,  I  think  it  would 
go  a  long  \vay  towards  making  a  man  of  you,  a  true 
man  I  mean,  who  is  honest,  and  true,  and  good,  and 
not  merely  a  finely-dressed,  cane-carrying,  cigar-smok- 
ing dandy.  I  don't  believe  you  will  want  to  do  the 
foolish  things  you  will  see  boys  doing  because  they 
think  they  make  men  of  them.  I  think  you  will  come 
back  a  boy,  but  a  wiser  and  better  boy,  just  as  ready 
to  mind  your  Uncle  and  Aunt,  and  help  them  as  you 
are  now,  and  knowing  a  great  deal  better  how  to  do 
it.  If  I  did  not  think  so  I  should  not  want  to  see 
you  go  one  step. 

"  I  do  not  sec  myself  how  you  are  to  go,  but  just 
remember — '  Where  ;here  is  a  will,  there  is  a  way,' 
and  we  will  both  study  about  it,  and  when  I  come 
back  next  month,  you  will  tell  me  of  the  way  you  have 
thought  out,  and  if  I  have  any  better  one  I  will  tell 
you.  Now  do  not  go  around  asking  people  to  tell 
you  how  you  can  get  to  the  Centennial.  Do  not  tell 
anybody  you  want  to  go,  but  keep  thinking  about  it 
and  study  out  for  yourself,  some  way  to  get  there,  and 
my  word  for  it  you  will  go." 

We  had  prayers  then,  and  Parson  Theglin  prayed 
that  I  might  be  guided  aright  and  shown  the  way  in 
which  I  should  go.  He  didn't  just  say  so,  but  I  knew 
he  meant  me,  and  I  felt  as  if  there  was  something  real 
solemn  about  it.  I  think  the  Israelites  must  have 
felt  something  that  way  when  they  got  to  Jordan  and 
knew  they  had  to  cross  it  and  didn't  know  how. 

Nasho  had  been  asleep  all  the  time  and  I  didn't  say 


52  LIVE    BOYS. 

any  thing  to  him  about  it,  but  I  thought  about  it  a 
good  deal  after  we  went  to  bed  in  the  bed-room,  and 
the  more  I  thought  about  it,  the  more  it  seemed  to 
me  there  was  a  way  for  me  to  go.  And  I  went  to 
sleep  thinking  about  it  and  dreamed  that  a  fine  gen- 
tleman came  along  and  gave  me  and  Nasho  money 
enough  to  take  us  there  and  back. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PARSON  THEGLIN  MAKES  CHARLEY  SEE  HOW  HE  CAN 
GO  TO  THE  CENTENNIAL. 

NEXT  morning  when  I  got  up  the  first  thing  that 
came  into  my  mind  before  I  had  time  to  think, 
was  how  I  was  going  to  the  Centennial.  I  did  not 
say  any  thing  to  any  one  about  it,  but  there  was  never 
a  day  that  I  did  not  think  of  it  a  great  deal,  though  I 
didn't  seem  to  be  getting  any  nearer  to  finding  it. 

The  next  time  Parson  Theglin  came  was  Saturday 
evening.  I  had  just  come  home  from  school,  and  saw 
him  taking  his  horse  to  the  crib,  and  I  ran  to  him 
and  told  him  I  would  take  him  and  put  him  up. 

He  thanked  me,  and  said  he  would  go  in  the  house 
as  he  was  very  tired.  I  have  been  studying  every 
way,  sir,  since  you  was  here,  and  I  don't  see  any  way 
for  me  to  get  to  the  Centennial,  and  yet  I  must  go,  sir, 
I  will  never  have  another  chance. 

My  head  was  so  full  of  it  that  I  had  to  say  that 
much. 

"  Well,  Charley,  wait  until  after  supper,  and  I  get 
rested  a  bit,  and  we  will  have  a  talk  about  it." 

Yes,  sir  ;  but  Uncle  will  want  to  talk  to  you  then, 
and  to-morrow  is  Sunday,  and  I  am  afraid  we  won't 


54  LIVE    BOYS. 

have  a  chance  again.  You  don't  know  how  bad  I 
want  to  go,  sir.  Please  tell  me  if  you  know  any  way. 
I  can  wait  then  as  long  as  you  wish. 

"  No,  Charley,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  do  not.  There 
is  a  way,  though  neither  of  us  have  been  able  to  find 
it,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  be  found  yet.  But  we  won't 
talk  of  it  just  now.  Trust  me  to  find  another  oppor- 
tunity before  I  go.  I  will  not  go  until  we  do  talk  it 
over.  Give  my  horse  plenty  of  corn  and  fodder  — 
he  has  had  a  long  ride  to-day." 

After  supper  he  and  Uncle  had  a  long  talk,  mostly 
about  Church  and  religious  matters.  They  did  not 
say  a  word  about  the  Centennia1,  and  I  was  afraid 
Parson  Theglin  didn't  care  much  about  it,  though  I 
felt  sure  he  wouldn't  try  to  deceive  me  and  pretend 
he  did  when  he  did  not. 

About  eight  o'clock  he  got  up,  filled  his  pipe  again, 
and  said  he  would  go  out  to  the  stable  and  see  about 
his  horse.  "  I  know  Charley  has  fed  him  well,  but  I 
like  to  see  him  myself  before  lying  down.  I  can 
sleep  the  better  for  knowing  that  he  is  all  right. 
Will  you  go  with  me,  Charley  ?  " 

Yes,  sir ;  I  am  sure  though  you  will  find  Blaze  hasn't 
eat  up  all  I  gave  him.  I  put  twenty  good  ears  in  his 
trough,  and  plenty  of  surghum  fodder. 

When  we  reached  the  lot,  instead  of  going  to  the 
stable,  Parson  Theglin  climbed  up  and  fixed  himself 
on  the  fence,  and  I  sat  on  a  stump  in  front  of  him. 
He  had  broken  a  splinter  off  the  fence  and  was  whit- 
tling it  slowly  as  he  spoke. 


CHARLLY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         55 

"Well,  Charley,  have  you  found  out  how  you  are" 
going  to  the  Centennial  yet  ?  " 

I  felt  certain  from  the  way  he  spoke  that  he  had 
not  thought  of  any  way  for  me  to  go,  but  I  was  glad 
to  hear  him  speak  as  he  did,  as  if  it  was  certain  that  I 
was  going. 

No,  sir,  I  haven't.  I  have  thought  and  thought  and 
studied  over  it,  but  I  can't  see  any  way  how  I  can  get 
there.  It  will  take  so  much  more  money  than  there 
is  any  way  for  me  to  get.  You  know  I  can't  earn  but 
little  at  a  time. 

"  How  did  you  go  about  thinking  up  a  plan  ?  " 

I  just  tried  to  study  up  some  way,  sir  —  I  didn't 
know  any  other  way  to  do. 

"  Suppose  your  Uncle  were  to  send  you  out  to  hunt 
the  oxen  when  they  do  not  come  up,  would  you  go 
riding  around  through  the  woods  anywhere  your 
horse  cared  to  go  ?  " 

No,  sir.  If  it  was  a  cold  wet  clay  like  last  Tuesday, 
I  would  know  they  had  gone  down  into  the  bottom,  or 
else  up  into  the  gulch  out  of  the  wind.  If  it  was  a 
bright,  clear  day,  I  would  think  they  had  gone  out  to 
the  prairie,  and  would  go  there  to  look  for  them. 
And  if  a  norther  was  blowing,  but  it  wasn't  raining,  I 
would  go  to  some  of  the  hollows  where  they  go  to 
keep  out  of  the  wind  and  pick  the  grass  and  the  bushes. 

"  Exactly,  you  would  first  consider  the  weather,  de- 
cide where  they  would  most  likely  be,  and  then  go 
there  to  look  for  them." 

Yes,  sir  ;  but  it  don't  seem  to  me  this  case  is  like 


56  LIVE    LOVS. 

that  one.  I  know  where  the  Centennial  is  and  the 
road  to  find  it,  but  I  have  not  got  the  money  to  go  on, 
and  I  don't  know  how  to  get  it. 

"  The  two  cases  are  more  alike  than  you  think  for. 
Think  carefully  a  moment  before  speaking  and  then 
tell  me  what  the  weather  is  in  going  to  the  Centen- 
nial." 

I  studied  and  studied.  The  weather  told  me  in 
which  one  of  several  places  the  oxen  would  most  likely 
be,  but  the  weather  don't  have  any  thing  to  do  with 
getting  to  the  Centennial.  I  will  go  in  the  cars  of 
course,  and  it  don't  make  any  difference  what  it  is. 
The  weather,  the  weather;  oh,  yes,  now  I  see  ;  the 
weather  is  the  money  —  ain't  it,  sir  ? 

"Is  what?" 

I  thought  I  was  thinking  out  loud.  Ain't  the 
weather  the  money  I  must  have  to  go  there  ? 

"  That  is  it.     Now  what  next  ?  " 

It's  how  much  I  must  have. 

"  Right  again.  Do  you  know  how  much  a  ticket 
costs  ? " 

No,  sir. 

"You  can  buy  a  ticket  from  Austin  for  forty  dollars 
and  you  will  need  about  five  dollars  to  pay  for  your 
meals  on  the  road.  A  boy  who  has  camped  as  much 
as  you  have  won't  need  a  sleeping-car.  You  can  sleep 
on  the  seat.  Of  course  it  will  cost  you  as  much  to 
come  back,  and  you  can  live  there  for  less  than  a  dol- 
lar a  day.  You  will  want  to  stay  a  month  at  least,  and 
it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  you  could  stay  there  three. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         57 

It  would  not  be  time  lost  or  wasted.     Now  can  you 
tell  me  how  much  these  three  sums  come  to  ? " 

Yes,  sir  —  I  figured  it  out  in  my  head  —  1 50  dollars, 
sir. 

"  Well,  now  add  fifty  dollars  more." 

What  is  that  for  ? 

"  For  what  travellers  call  incidental  expenses  ;  for 
apples  and  candy,  and  papers  and  toys,  and  nice  things 
to  eat,  and  car  rides,  and  shows,  and  every  thing  of  that 
kind." 

But  I  can  get  along  without  these,  sir. 

"You  won't  though,  and  must  have  more  money 
than  just  enough  to  pay  your  expenses  there  and  back. 
You  may  get  sick,  or  have  your  leg  broken,  and  then 
you  will  need  money  to  pay  a  doctor  or  surgeon.  A 
prudent  traveller  always  allows  pretty  liberally  for  the 
incidentals.  You  will  need  then  200  dollars.  Now 
what's  the  next  thing  ?  " 

The  same  old  trouble,  sir  ;  how  to  get  it. 

"  Do  you  expect  anyone  to  give  you  this  amount  ?  " 

No,  sir. 

"  Could  you  borrow  it  ?  " 

Oh,  no,  sir ;  I  would  be  afraid  to  if  I  could. 

"  Why  ? " 

Because,  sir,  it's  more  money  than  I  ever  could  pay 
back  again.  I  couldn't  borrow  money  if  I  didn't  see 
how  I  was  to  get  it  to  pay  back. 

"Right,  Charley.  Stick  to  that  through  life. 
Never  borrow  money  at  all  if  you  can  help  it,  but 
never  unless  you  know  just  how  and  just  when  you 


58  LIVE    BOYS. 

can  repay  it.  Better  do  without  what  you  want  your- 
self than  force  some  one  else  to  do  without  oa  your 
account. 

"  Then  as  you  do  not  expect  some  one  to  give  it  to 
you,  and  cannot  borrow  it  because  you  do  not  know 
how  you  could  pay  it  back,  how  are  you  to  get  it  ? " 

I  must  make  it. 

"  When  you  start  after  the  oxen,  why  don't  you  go 
on  foot  ? " 

Because,  sir,  I  would  get  tired  directly,  and  I  can- 
not travel  as  fast  as  a  horse,  and  the  oxen  would  out- 
run me  if  I  found  them  on  foot  —  old  Coley  can  run 
nearly  as  fast  as  a  horse,  and  I  can't  see  through  the 
brush  afoot  like  I  can  on  horseback. 

"  Then  you  take  a  horse  because  you  and  the  horse 
can  do  more  than  you  can  by  yourself." 

Yes,  sir. 

I  was  thinking  how  foolish  I  would  be  to  start  after 
the  oxen  a  foot  when  I  had  a  pony  in  the  pasture 
or  lot,  and  how  the  oxen  would  laugh  at  me  when 
they  saw  me  coming  afoot  and  run  away  from  me  just 
as  easy  as  could  be,  and  going  over  the  whole  thing 
in  my  mind,  when  I  wondered  why  Parson  Theglin 
didn't  keep  on,  and  looked  up,  but  he  was  whittling 
away  as  quiet  as  could  be,  and  didn't  seem  to  have 
any  notion  of  saying  any  thing  else.  So  I  said  — 

Well,  sir,  now  what  ? 

"  That  s  your  question,  my  boy,  not  mine.  I  am 
not  going  to  the  Centennial." 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         59 

But  you  said,  sir,  you  would  help  me  if  I  couldn't 
find  any  way  to  go.  And  I  can't,  sir. 

"  Have  you  tried  ?  " 

Yes,  sir  ;  all  the  time. 

"How  —  riding  around  through  the  woods  any- 
where your  horse  wanted  to  go  ?  " 

I  saw  what  he  meant  and  fell  to  studying  again.  I 
took  my  pony  to  go  after  the  oxen  because  I  could 
travel  faster,  see  farther,  and  run  faster  than  afoot. 
But  I  can't  go  there  on  Bullet. 

"  Can't  go  where  ?  " 

Oh,  sir,  I  didn't  know  I  was  talking  out  loud.  I 
was  just  thinking  why  I  took  Bullet  to  hunt  the  oxen ; 
but  I  can't  ride  him  to  the  Centennial. 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

Because,  sir,  it  would  take  me  so  long. 

"  Men  have  walked  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  that  is  a  thousand  miles  further  than  your 
trip." 

But  th?n,  sir,  I  must  have  something  to  eat  on  the 
road,  and  a  heap  of  times  there  wouldn't  be  grass  for 
Bullet,  and  I  would  have  to  buy  corn  and  fodder  for 
him. 

"  Make  him  pay  for  his  own  corn  and  fodder,  and 
carry  you  too." 

Ifo\v,  sir  ? 

"  That  is  your  lookout,  not  mine.  If  I  was  going  I 
would  find  a  how." 

But  you  said,  sir,  you  would  help  me  to  find  a  way. 

"  Exactly.     I  said  I  would  help  you,  not  find  it  for 


6O  LIVE    BOYS. 

you.  I  suppose  you  will  want  me  to  go  with  you  next 
thing." 

Oh  no,  sir,  I  don't  expect  that;  but  if  you  would 
only  tell  me  how  to  go. 

"  If  you  cannot  find  out  how  to  go,  you  will  not  be 
able  to  go  by  yourself,  or  take  care  of  yourself  after 
you  get  there." 

Yes,  sir  ;  but  I  am  only  a  boy. 

"  And  you  will  never  be  any  thing  but  a  boy  if  you 
do  not  begin  some  time,  and  now  is  the  time  unless 
you  intend  to  throw  away  the  best  opportunity  for 
educating  yourself  you  ever  will  have,  and  be  only  a 
cow-boy  and  clod  hopper  all  your  life.  What  is  your 
head  good  for  if  you  cannot  put  it  to  some  use  ?  Why, 
you  might  almost  as  well  have  fried  brains  as  lively, 
active  ones  like  such  a  boy  as  you  ought  to  have. 
Cannot  ride  to  the  Centennial,  hey  ?  What's  the  long- 
est trip  you  ever  took?  " 

Last  summer — the  time  I  went  up  to  Brown  and 
Coleman  counties  with  Mr.  Negus.  He  wanted  help 
and  told  Uncle  he  would  give  him  two  dollars  a  day 
if  he  would  let  me  go  and  take  two  horses  with  me. 
And  Uncle  said  I  might  go  and  take  Bullet  and  Aunt's 
mare  that  she  rides,  but  I  must  be  very  careful  of  her 
and  not  run  her  much.  We  was  gone  three  weeks, 
camping  out  all  the  time,  and  Mr.  Negus  said  I  made 
just  as  good  a  hand  as  any  of  them.  I  roped  a  big 
steer  and  tangled  him  up  in  the  rope  and  threw  him 
down  and  held  him  down  all  by  myself,  while  Jim 
Langdon  got  down  and  tied  him  ;  on  Bullet  I  mean. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        6l 

And  two  or  three  nights  when  we  had  poor  pens  and 
had  to  stand  guard  over  them,  I  stood  guard  with  rest. 

"  Then  you  know  all  about  driving  cattle  ? " 

Yes,  sir. 

"  And  when  you  were  in  Brown  county  you  were 
gone  three  weeks  ?  " 

Yes,  sir  ;  I  wished  it  had  been  longer,  though  I  got 
tired  sometimes  and  wished  I  was  back  to  one  of 
Auntie's  good  suppers,  and  nice  soft  beds.  But  I 
would  a  great  deal  rather  have  staid  longer  than  come 
back  sooner. 

"  And  you  were  nearer  the  Centennial  then  than  you 
are  now. 

Ye — s — s — ir. 

"  And  suppose  you  had  kept  on  three  months  with- 
out turning  back." 

But  Mr.  Negus's  cattle  don't  range  that  far  off,  and 
nobody  wouldn't  go  where  their  cattle  didn't  run. 

"  What  are  the  boy's  brains  good  for.  He  found 
somebody  that  gave  him  two  dollars  a  day  and  fed 
him,  and  he  didn't  have  to  feed  his  horse,  and  was  gone 
three  weeks  and  liked  it,  and  now  talks  about  not 
going  where  cattle  don't  run.  Did  you  ever  hear  of 
cattle  going  where  they  did  not  want  to  go  ?" 

Yes,  sir,  many  a  time. 

"  How  did  they  go  ?  " 

Somebody  drove  them. 

"  What  for  ?  " 

Because  they  wanted  to  bring  them  home  or  drive 
them  to  market. 


62  LIVE    BOYS. 

"  What  market  ?  " 

Kansas,  sir,  mostly,  though  sometimes  they  drive 
them  to  San  Antonio  or  maybe  Rockport. 

"  And  going  to  Kansas  is  going  away  from  the  Cen- 
tennial, isn't  it  ? " 

Oh  !  yes,  sir — now  I  see,  now  I  see.  I  must  hire 
to  somebody  to  drive  beeves  to  Kansas,  and  then  go 
on  from  there  to  the  Centennial.  I  will  be  making 
money  all  the  way  to  Kansas,  and  I  can  leave  my  horse 
there  and  get  him  when  I  come  back  and  ride  him 
back  to  Texas,  and  it  won't  cost  me  much.  Ain't 
that  the  way,  sir  ?  How  strange  I  didn't  think  of  that 
at  first !  You  are  very  kind  to  me,  sir,  to  take  so  much 
trouble  to  make  me  think  for  myself  when  it  would 
have  been  so  easy  just  to  have  told  me  I  must  drive 
beeves  to  Kansas.  If  I  had  been  any  account  I  would 
have  thought  of  that  at  first.  I  am  afraid  I  never 
will  learn  to  think. 

"  Yes,  you  will.  You  have  not  tried  much  yet.  I 
mean  tried  steadily  and  persistently,  taking  the  weather 
into  consideration  and  not  riding  around  wherever 
your  horse  wants  to  go.  For  what  we  call  the  mind 
is  very  much  like  the  horse  we  ride.  If  we  train  it  to 
work  steadily  it  will  soon  learn  to  go  just  where  we 
tell  it ;  but  if  we  let  it  alone  it  will  be  turning  around 
and  leaving  the  path  we  started  it  in,  and  going  first 
here  and  then  there  and  never  getting  where  we 
started  to  go.  It  is  steady  persistence  that  wins,  my 
boy.  Try,  try  again,  and  keep  trying,  and  after  awhile 
you  will  win.  It  takes  some  men  thirty  years.  And 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        63 

the  reason  that  most  men  do  not  win  and  never 
amount  to  any  thing  in  the  world  is  because  they  have 
nothing  they  are  determined  to  do  and  just  wind 
about  here  and  there,  or  they  get  tired  and  quit,  and 
try  something  else,  and  get  tired  of  that  and  try  some- 
thing else  again  and  thus  waste  their  own  lives.  Be 
sure  that  what  you  want  to  do  is  the  right  thing  for 
you  to  do,  and  worth  doing,  and  then  never  give  up ;  and 
sooner  or  later  you  will  win.  We'll  go  in  now,  Charley, 
it  is  getting  late.  I  will  trust  you  for  having  taken 
good  care  of  Blaze." 

That  night  at  prayers  I  couldn't  help  but  think  that 
God  was  a  little  like  Parson  Theglin,  only  ever  so 
much  larger  and  better,  and  he  would  have  time  to 
think  about  me  a  little,  and  take  care  that  I  didn't  get 
hurt  or  go  wrong,  only  I  must  help  myself  too  ;  and 
before  I  laid  down  I  asked  him  to  help  me  go  to  the 
Centennial,  and  to  learn  to  think,  and  to  keep  trying 
when  I  wanted  to  do  any  thing. 

I  wanted  so  bad  to  ask  Uncle  that  night  if  I  might 
hire  out  to  go  to  Kansas,  but  I  did  not  get  a  chance. 
I  was  certain  though  he  would  let  me  go,  for  Parson 
Theglin  wouldn't  have  made  me  think  of  that  way  if 
it  had  been  one  Uncle  wouldn't  have  liked,  and  there 
wasn't  any  other  way  for  me  to  go,  and  I  was  just  "as 
certain  I  was  going  as  that  I  was  lying  in  bed  think- 
ing of  it.  And  there  wasn't  a  happier  boy  in  Kerr 
County  that  night. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  GOOD  FRIEND  TO  CHARLEY. MAKING  WILD-TURKEY 

TRAPS. TURKEYS,  BEES,  AND  PARTRIDGES. 

I  FELT  sure  all  the  time  I  was  going  to  the  Centen- 
nial, but  I  knew  now  how  I  was  going  and  I  was  a 
heap  surer  than  before.  The  greatest  thing  in  the  way 
now  was  horses.  If  we  had  three  horses  apiece  we  would 
get  $75  apiece  a  month,  and  we  could  make  enough 
at  that  to  take  us  from  Kansas  there  and  back  to 
Kansas  again.  But  we  had  only  one  horse  apiece,  me 
and  Nasho,  and  how  to  get  the  others  was  the  trouble. 
We  could  only  get  $25  or  $30  apiece  a  month  if  we 
only  had  one  horse.  There  must  be  some  way  now 
to  get  the  other  four  horses  we  needed,  though  I 
couldn't  see  how  it  could  be.  We  didn't  have  any 
time  but  Saturday  to  do  any  thing  in,  and  then  Uncle 
almost  always  had  something  for  us  to  do. 

Well,  I  went  to  Uncle  and  said  to  him — Uncle,  we 
want  to  go  to  the  Centennial  very  bad,  me  and  Nasho. 
We  have  been  wanting  to  go  ever  since  that  night  you 
and  Parson  Theglin  talked  about  it,  but  I  haven't  said 
any  thing  about  it  because  we  didn't  know  how  we  could 
manage  to  go,  but  we  can  do  it  now  this  way.  We 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         65 

can  hire  to  somebody  that  is  driving  cattle  to  Kansas 
and  leave  our  horses  in  a  pasture  there  and  go  on  to 
the  Centennial  with  the  money  we  make,  and  stay 
there  a  month,  and  come  back  to  Kansas,  and  ride 
our  horses  home  again.  We  can  learn  so  much 
Uncle,  there  will  be  so  much  to  see,  I  do  hope  you 
are  willing  for  us  to  go. 

"  Yes,  Charley,  I  am  willing  for  you  to  go.  When 
you  first  spoke  of  it  that  night  I  thought  it  was  only 
a  boyish  whim  that  you  would  soon  get  over  ;  but  if 
you  are  in  earnest  about  it,  as  I  believe  you  are,  why 
you  can  go.  You  are  very  young,  you  and  Nasho,  to 
take  a  trip  like  that  alone,  but  I  am  satisfied  if  you 
will  behave  yourselves  and  do  what  is  right  you  will 
get  along.  I  will  do  any  thing  I  can  to  help  you 
along.  You  wont  need  much  money,  because  on  the 
drive  you  will  be  fed.  You  have  a  horse  and  saddle 
apiece  and  some  clothes,  and  Auntie  must  try  and 
make  each  of  you  another  good  suit  before  you  go. 
Your  clothes  and  blankets  will  be  all  you  will  want." 

Oh,  Uncle,  I  just  now  thought  of  it ;  we  can  kill 
deer  and  dress  the  skins  ;  you  know  what  a  good  hand 
Nasho  is,  and  Auntie  can  make  us  a  nice  suit  out  of 
buckskin  and  we  will  wear  it  to  the  Centennial  to 
show  the  people  what  Texas  people  used  to  have  to 
dress  with  and  what  two  Texas  boys  can  do  now. 

"  A  right  good  idea,  Charley,  my  boy/'  said  Uncle 
slowly  with  his  eye  set  to  one  side  a  little  as  if  think- 
ing about  it,  "a  right  good  idea.  I  believe  this  is  set- 
ting you  to  thinking.  I  despise  any  thing  like  rowdy- 
S 


66  LIVE    BOYS. 

ism  even  in  dress,  but  well-tanned  buckskin  makes  a 
neat  suit.  I  have  seen  the  President  of  the  Republic 
of  Texas  dressed  in  it  and  he  looked  just  as  well  as 
the  fancy  French  minister  with  his  fine  rig  just  as  if 
he  had  gotten  out  of  a  bandbox.  You  and  Nasho 
kill  the  deer  and  dress  the  hides,  and  I'll  insure  that 
Auntie  will  do  her  best  in  cutting  them  out  and  put- 
ting her  best  stitching  in  them.  I  will  give  you  all 
the  Saturdays  I  can." 

Maybe  we  can  make  some  money  driving  cattle  or 
getting  up  stray  horses.  We  want  two  more  horses 
apiece,  and  they  will  cost  us  at  least  thirty  dollars 
apiece,  and  I  don't  see  how  we  are  going  to  get  that 
much  money  ;  but  we  are  going  to  try. 

"  All  right,  my  boy.  I'll  help  you  all  I  can,  and 
where  there  is  a  genuine  working  will,  there  is  nearly 
always  a  way.  Remember  that  and  keep  your  wits 
about  you,  and  I'm  sure  the  way  will  be  found." 

I  hadn't  said  any  thing  to  Nasho  about  it,  but  Mon- 
day morning  as  we  were  going  to  school  I  told  him 
about  it  and  asked  him  if  he  didn't  want  to  go.  He 
said  yes,  if  I  went,  but  he  didn't  seem  to  think  any 
thing  more  about  it  than  he  would  going  on  a  cow- 
hunt.  He's  a  curious  fellow,  Nasho  is.  He  don't 
ever  get  excited  like  most  boys. 

If  the  house  was  to  catch  fire  over  his  head  I 
don't  believe  he  would  get  excited  a  bit,  but  he'd  be 
sure  to  get  out.  One  night  when  we  was  on  a  cow- 
hunt  and  stopping  at  Mr.  Hansom's,  the  stable  caught 
fire  where  somebody  had  been  smoking.  There  was 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         6/ 

a  very  fine  horse  in  it  and  two  men  ran  in  to  get  him 
out.  They  jerked  and  pulled  and  tried  to  drive  him 
out,  but  he  was  scared  and  wouldn't  budge  a  step. 
Nasho  ran  in  quietly  and  said — "  You  no  right,  me  get 
him  out,"  and  wrapped  his  big  handkerchief,  which 
he  wore  round  his  neck  when  he  was  coon-hunting, 
round  the  horse's  head  so  as  to  blindfold  him,  and 
then  patted  him  on  the  head  a  minute  or  two,  and  led 
him  out  without  any  trouble. 

Mr.  Hansom  was  so  glad  to  save  his  fine  horse 
that  he  gave  Nasho  ten  dollars,  and  all  of  them  said 
that  Nasho  had  more  sense  than  any  of  them.  I  have 
always  heard  that  the  Indians  don't  say  much,  espe- 
cially the  young  ones,  and  they  must  think  a  heap  be- 
fore they  speak,  and  I  think  Nasho  must  have  learned 
a  good  deal  from  them. 

I  told  him  we  would  want  two  horses  apiece  and  I 
didn't  know  where  we  would  get  the  money  to  buy 
them. 

"  We  make  the  money.  We  kill  more  deer  and  we 
dress  their  hides  nice,  and  we  catch  heap  wild  turkeys 
and  take  Uncle's  wagon  and  go  to  San  Antonio  and 
sell  'em,  and  we  drive  cows  for  somebody.  We  find 
way  to  make  the  money."  We  talked  about  it  all  the 
way  to  school,  and  my  head  was  so  full  of  it  and  of 
some  way  to  get  the  money  that  it  was  hard  to 
keep  my  mind  fixed  on  my  lessons.  It  would  keep 
running  off  on  other  things.  Yet  I  never  did  want  to 
learn  more.  I  studied  my  geography  more  than  ever, 
for  I  wanted  to  learn  something  about  the  countries 


68  LIVE    BOYS. 

and  the  people  that  would  have  something  to  show  at 
the  Centennial.  I  thought  maybe  Miss  Masover,  our 
teacher,  would  be  able  to  help  me  learn  what  I  wanted 
to  know  most,  so  I  told  her  what  we  were  going  to  do, 
and  asked  her  if  she  would  tell  me  what  I  needed  to 
know  most,  and  to  learn  it  fastest.  I  asked  her,  too, 
not  to  say  any  thing  about  it,  and  she  said  she  wouldn't. 
I  knew  she  wouldn't. 

She  said  she  had  two  or  three  books  that  would  tell 
me  a  great  deal  about  the  different  countries  and  the 
people,  and  she  would  lend  them  to  me  and  I  must 
read  them.  And  then  she  made  me  tell  her  all  about 
our  trip,  and  how  we  were  going,  and  how  we  expected 
to  get  the  money,  and  seemed  to  feel  just  as  much 
interested  as  ff  she  was  going  herself.  Seems  to  me 
women  care  a  heap  more  about  people  they  like  than 
men  do.  Uncle  is  just  as  kind  to  me  and  Nasho  as 
he  can  be,  but  he  don't  think  about  a  heap  of  little 
things  about  us  like  Auntie  does. 

When  I  got  through  she  said — "Well,  Charley,  there 
is  another  way  in  which  I  think  you  can  make  some 
money.  I  will  help  Nasho  make  the  very  prettiest  things 
he  can,  and  when  you  go  to  San  Antonia  you  can  take 
them  and  sell  them  and  get  more  money  that  way." 

I  thanked  her  for  her  kindness,  and  then  it  was 
time  for  school  to  take  up  and  we  couldn't  talk  any 
more.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  everybody  was  trying  to 
help  us  when  they  saw  that  we  was  in  earnest,  and 
trying  to  do  all  we  could  ourselves. 

That  evening  we  hurried  home  from  school,  and 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.        69 

telling  Auntie  we  was  going  down  in  the  bottom  and 
wouldn't  be  home  till  late,  we  took  the  little  axe  Uncle 
had  bought  for  us,  and  the  hatchet,  and  went  down  in 
the  bottom.  We  hunted  about  until  we  found  a  good 
place  in  an  open  thicket  where  there  wasn't  any  trees 
where  the  hogs  would  be  likely  to  come,  and  cut  down 
some  poles  and  out  of  them  and  dry  logs  and  branches 
we  cut  off  of  other  trees,  we  made  a  pen  about  six  feet 
square  and  four  feet  high  which  we  covered  with 
logs  and  brush.  Before  we  covered  it  up  we  dug  a 
trench  on  the  south  side  about  a  foot  deep  and  four 
feet  long  running  into  the  pen  with  each  end  about 
the  same  distance  apart  outside  of  and  in  the  pen. 
This  trench  we  covered  with  small  sticks  and  two  or 
three  boards  we  found  that  had  been  washed  up  in  a 
rise  of  the  creek,  and  put  heavy  chunks  over  them  so 
that  the  turkeys  couldn't  raise  them  up.  Then  we 
covered  the  top  and  baited  it  with  corn,  and  strewed 
corn  around  in  front  of  it,  so  they  would  find  it  if  they 
came  near  it,  and  then  smoothed  the  ground  off  a  lit- 
tle with  a  brush-top  and  left  it.  It  was  in  the  night 
before  we  got  through,  but  the  moon  was  shining 
bright  so  we  could  see  well  enough  to  work,  and  we 
never  thought  of  being  afraid. 

"  Well,  but  Charley,  I  don't  understand  what  that 
trench  is  for  in  your  turkey  pen.  If  I  understand 
you,  you  began  your  trench  about  two  feet  from  the 
pen,  ran  it  under  the  bottom  log,  and  let  it  come  out 
about  two  feet  on  the  inside.  What  is  that  for  ?  " 

We  made  it  begin  about  three  feet  from   the  log 


70  LIVE    BOYS. 

on  the  outside.  Why  you  see,  Mr.  Morecamp,  the 
turkeys' find  the  corn  leading  to  the  trench,  and 
they  run  along  picking  it  up  and  when  they  come 
to  it  and  see  the  corn  in  it,  and  we  put  it  pretty  thick, 
they  just  draw  themselves  up  like  a  hog  getting 
through  a  hole  under  a  fence,  and  go  in.  They  come 
out  on  the  inside  of  the  pen,  and  when  they  raise 
their  heads  and  find  they  are  in  a  pen  they  begin  to 
run  round  and  round  and  are  caught. 

"  Why,  Charley,  haven't  they  sense  enough  to  go 
out  the  way  they  went  in  ? " 

No,  sir.  You  see  they  keep  their  heads  up  all  the 
time  and  never  think  of  looking  down  for  a  way  to 
get  out.  Sometimes  a  whole  gang  will  go  into  a  trap 
this  way.  You  can  catch  partridges  the  same  way, 
though  they  are  more  likely  to  get  out  than  turkeys. 

"  Well !  I  would  have  supposed  any  thing  would 
have  sense  enough  to  get  out  the  way  it  got  in." 

I  reckon  it's  being  in  a  trap  that  makes  them  for- 
get and  turn  foolish.  They  never  do  get  out. 

On  our  way  home,  the  dogs  treed  a  possum  up  a  little 
haw-tree  and  Nasho  ran  up  and  shook  him  out,  and 
I  kept  the  dogs  off  so  they  wouldn't  bite  him  all  up, 
and  we  took  him  home.  Auntie  was  glad  to  get  him, 
but  he^  wasn't  very  fat,  and  we  put  him  in  a  pen  to 
feed  for  Christmas  week.  We  fed  him  on  bread  scraps 
from  the  table  and  corn,  and  he  got  as  fat  as  a  pig. 
I  have  never  eaten  any  thing  here  at  the  Centennial 
better  than  baked  possum  and  sweet  potatoes. 

After  that  we  made  two  more  turkey  traps,   ar.d 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         J\ 

every  other  night  we  would  go  down  to  see  if  we  had 
caught  any.  It  was  two  weeks  before  we  did,  and 
we  began  to  think  we  wasn't  going  to  catch  any, 
though  Nasho  said  in  his  dry  way — "  Plenty  turkey 
nere,  see  him  tracks — we  catch  him  by  and  by." 

On  Friday  evening  we  went  down  and  there  was 
twenty  turkeys  in  the  pens.  We  stopped  up  the  holes 
so  they  couldn't  get  out,  and  next  morning  Uncle  went 
down  with  us  with  the  wagon,  and  we  made  a  hole  in 
the  top  of  the  pen  so  me  and  Nasho  could  get  in.  We 
caught  them  one  by  one  and  tied  their  legs  together 
with  strings  we  had  brought  with  us,  and  when  we 
had  them  all  fast  we  handed  up  to  Uncle  who  put 
them  in  the  wagon.  Me  and  Nasho  made  a  pen  to 
keep  them  in,  and  fed  them  on  corn  and  millet  heads 
and  sugar  millet  seed  till  they  got  right  fat. 

Afterward  we  caught  thirty-five  more,  so  that  we 
had  fifty-five.  We  gave  Auntie  five.  When  we  went 
down  for  the  last  ones  we  found  a  bee-tree,  and  when 
we  had  put  the  turkeys  in  the  pen  at  home  we  came 
back  with  axes  and  cut  down  the  tree  and  smoked  the 
bees  out,  and  got  thirty  pounds  of  honey.  The  bees 
nearly  all  lit  on  the  branch  of  a  low  tree  near  by,  one  on 
top  of  the  other  until  they  made  a  great  big  brown  lump 
like  a  knot  on  a  tree,  and  Uncle  put  a  blanket  under 
them  and  cut  off  the  limb  easy  so  it  wouldn't  disturb 
them  and  let  it  fall  into  the  blanket  and  hived  the  whole 
swarm.  He  took  it  home  and  put  it  in  one  of  his  hives, 
and  that  made  twenty  hives  he  had.  We  caught  one 
hundred  partridges,  which  we  put  up  in  a  big  trap  like 
a  chicken  coop  to  fatten  and  keep. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GATHERING  PECANS. A  BEAR  AND  TWO  DEER  KILLED. 

WOLF-SHOOTING    BY    MOONLIGHT. 

/~\N  Wednesday  night  soon  after  we  had  gone  to 
^^  bed  there  came  up  a  hard  norther.  I  was  thinking 
how  cold  it  would  be  for  us  to  do  any  thing  the  next 
Saturday,  when  all  of  a  sudden  I  happened  to  think 
we  could  make  something  out  of  the  norther.  All 
the  pecans  near  us  had  been  gathered,  but  when  me 
and  Nasho  had  gone  after  the  bows  and  arrows  the 
Indians  had  left,  we  found  a  little  bottom  of  pecan 
trees  in  a  ravine  where  I  was  certain  we  could  gather 
ten  or  fifteen  bushels.  So  the  next  morning  by  day- 
light I  was  up  and  asked  Uncle  if  me  and  Nasho  could 
not  take  the  wagon  and  go  up  there  and  gather  the  pe- 
cans. He  said  we  might,  so  we  ran  out  and  got  up  the 
horses,  and  fed  them  and  put  the  harness  on  while 
they  were  eating  and  Auntie  was  getting  breakfast 
ready.  We  were  to  be  gone  until  Saturday  night,  so 
Auntie  cooked  us  some  bread  to  take  with  us  and 
ground  us  some  coffee,  while  we  were  eating  our 
breakfast.  It  was  twelve  miles  to  the  place,  and  we 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         73 

were  in  a  hurry  to  get  off,  so  we  would  have  more 
time  to  pick  in ;  as  soon  as  we  were  done  eat- 
ing we  hitched  up  the  horses,  put  in  our  provisions,  a 
frying-pan  and  the  little  ccffee-pot,  we  took  cow-hunt- 
ing ropes  and  hobbles  for  the  horses  and  were  ready 
to  be  off.  I  told  Nasho  to  get  in  and  let's  go. 

"  We  no  got  gun  ;  maybe  see  deer." 

I  was  too  busy  thinking  of  the  pecans  and  had  forgot- 
ten the  gun. 

We  got  it  and  the  powder-horn  and  shot-bag  and 
put  it  in  the  wagon. 

"  Charley,"  said  Uncle,  "  if  you  will  be  right  careful 
of  it  you  may  take  my  rifle.  I  wouldn't  let  any  other 
boy  have  it  ;  but  I  know  you  will  take  care  of  it." 

Yes,  indeed,  Uncle,  that  I  will,  and  I  think  I'll  get  a 
deer  too,  with  Carry  True,  that  was  what  Uncle  called 
his  rifle.  Uncle  handed  me  the  rifle,  powder-horn  and 
bullet-pouch,  and  telling  us  to  take  care  of  ourselves 
we  started  off.  I  hollered  back.  Don't  be  uneasy 
Uncle  if  we  don't  get  back  until  late  Saturday  night. 
We  want  to  have  all  the  time  for  picking  pecans  we 
can.  The  dogs  both  followed  us. 

We  reached  the  grove  about  eleven  o'clock,  and 
picking  our  camp,  unharnessed  the  horses,  hobbled 
them  and  set  to  work.  Nobody  had  been  there  to 
gather,  and  the  hogs  hadn't  found  it,  and  the  ground 
was  strewed  with  pecans.  They  were  nearly  all  large 
fine  ones  with  tLin  hulls.  We  worked  until  dark  and 
thought  we  had  about  five  bushels.  We  had  brought 
wheat  sacks  to  put  them  in,  and  small  bags  that 


74  LIVE    BOYS. 

would  hold  about  a  peck,  with  strings  to  fasten  them 
around  our  necks,  to  pick  in. 

We  kept  the  sacks  in  the  wagon  because  they  were 
too  heavy  to  move  when  full,  and  as  fast  as  we  filled 
our  bags  we  emptied  them  in  the  sacks  and  tied  them 
up. 

A  little  before  dark  Nasho  said  we  would  quit  and 
he  would  make  a  fire  and  get  supper  while  I  tied  up 
the  horses  and  fed  them.  Close  to  where  I  found 
the  horses  I  saw  a  big  covey  of  partridges,  and  told 
Nasho  I  would  go  back  and  shoot  some  with  the  shot 
gun. 

"  No,  no — maybe  so  deer  close  by,  and  when  he 
hear  gun  he  run  off — no  must  shoot." 

I  saw  he  was  right,  so  I  went  back  with  a  short, 
stout  stick  and  throwing  into  the  bunch  killed  three, 
which  we  had  for  supper.  Then  I  tied  up  the  horses 
and  fed  them.  While  supper  was  cooking  Nasho  took 
the  water  gourd  to  the  hole  to  get  some  water,  and  I 
saw  him  stop  and  look  close  at  the  bark  of  a  tree  on 
the  way.  He  beckoned  me  to  come  to  him,  and  show- 
ed me  scratches  where  the  bark  had  been  rubbed  off. 
"  Bear  do  that,"  said  he,  "  last  week ;  maybe  so  he 
come  again.  He  heap  fond  of  pecans." 

We  were  up  next  morning  by  daylight,  and  Nasho 
said  he  would  take  the  gun  and  go  look  for  a  deer, 
while  I  got  breakfast.  I  thought  he  ought  to  have  let 
me  gone,  but  I  didn't  say  any  thing  and  began  stirring 
up  the  fire  to  cook  with.  I  had  cooked  the  meat  and 
had  the  coffee  on,  and  was  busy  feeding  the  horses 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  75 

when  I  heard  old  Bose  growl  low  like  Le  does  when 
something  is  wrong.  I  looked  the  way  his  head  was 
pointing,  and  saw  a  bear  coming  slowly  and  steadily 
up  the  hollow  in  which  the  grove  was.  He  had  seen 
the  wagon  and  horses  but  didn't  seem  to  care  any 
thing  for  them.  I  went  round  the  wagon  so  he 
couldn't  see  me,  made  Bose  be  still,  got  the  rifle, 
and  took  a  stand  by  a  tree  where  I  could  get  a  good 
rest  on  a  windfall.  He  came  along  as  straight  as  if 
he  thought  it  was  his  own  property  and  nobody  had  a 
right  to  trouble  him.  I  tried  to  be  as  cool  as  I  could, 
but  my  heart  thumped  hard,  and  my  hand  shook  so  I 
couldn't  hold  the  gun  steady.  When  he  got  in  about 
fifteen  yards  he  stopped  and  looked  as  if  he  didn't 
"like  the  look  of  things  at  his  camp.  As  he  half 
way  turned  to  go  off,  I  took  the  best  aim  I  could  and 
fired.  I  saw  him  fail,  but  he  got  up  again  and  started 
off.  Bose  was  after  him  in  a  second.  I  remembered 
Uncle  had  told  me  never  to  go  up  to  game  that  had 
been  shot  until  my  gun  was  reloaded,  so  I  began  to 
load  as  fast  as  I  could.  When  I  got  the  bullet  well 
home,  and  the  cap  on,  I  ran  after  them  as  fast  as  I 
could.  The  bear  was  trying  to  get  av/ay,  but  wher- 
ever he  would  turn  Bose  would  run  up  and  nip  his 
hind  quarters,  and  he  would  whirl  around  and  try  and 
catch  him.  I  ran  up  in  a  few  feet  of  him,  and  as  he  turn- 
ed to  try  and  catch  Bose  I  took  good  aim  and  shot  him 
through  the  head.  He  fell,  and  I  knew  I  had  got  him 
that  time.  I  was  mighty  glad,  for  it  was  my  first  bear. 
Just  then  I  heard  two  guns  almost  at  the  same  time, 


76  LIVE    BOYS. 

and  I  knew  that  must  be  Nasho.  After  looking  at 
the  bear  awhile  I  went  back  to  camp,  and  just  then 
Nasho  came  up  with  a  hind  quarter  and  ribs  of  a  deer. 
He  said  he  had  found  five  deer,  and  had  crept  close 
to  them  and  shot  and  killed  one,  and  without  wait- 
ing to  see  about  that  shot  he  fired  the  other  barrel  at 
another,  and  going  up  found  he  had  killed  two ;  both 
big  bucks 

"  Me  hear  gun  too  ;  what  you  kill." 

Come  and  see,  I  said,  and  took  him  to  the  bear. 
When  he  saw  him  he  shook  my  hand  and  said — "  Me 
call  you  Strong-heart  now,  you  kill  bear." 

We  cut  some  ribs  out  of  the  bear  and  fixed  them 
over  the  fire  to  cook  while  we  finished  skinning  him. 
Then  we  went  to  our  fire  and  got  breakfast,  for  we  were 
both  as  hungry  as  wolves.  We  cut  the  bear  into 
quarters  so  we  could  handle  it  easier,  and  cut  some 
poles  and  made  a  scaffold  over  the  fire  and  put  the 
meat  on  it  so  it  would  be  in  the  smoke.  Then  we 
hitched  up  the  horses  and  drove  up  to  where  Nasho 
had  killed  the  deer.  We  hung  them  up  in  a  tree  so 
they  would  be  in  the  smoke  too,  and  then  set  to  work 
picking  up  pecans.  It  was  nearly  dinner  then,  and 
we  were  a  little  tired  too,  and  we  didn't  get  any  more 
pecans  picked  up  than  the  day  before.  We  feasted 
that  day  on  deer  ribs  and  bear  meat. 

That  evening  when  we  stopped  for  supper  Nasho 
said — "Wolves  smell  meat  to-night,  and  come — we  hide 
and  kill  maybe  so  two,  three."  He  tied  his  rope  to 
some  of  the  entrails  of  the  bear  and  getting  on  his 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         // 

horse  and  tieing  the  other  end  of  the  rope  to  the 
horse's  neck  rode  off,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
camp,  and  then  rode  in  a  circle  clear  round  the  camp, 
and  came  to  the  place  where  the  bear  was  killed. 
Then  he  came  to  camp.  There  was  a  low  sunken 
place,  about  twenty  yards  from  the  place  between 
that  and  our  camp  ;  we  took  our  blankets  and  made 
our  bed  there,  leaving  the  dogs  to  take  care  of  camp, 
though  it  was  so  close  we  could  easily  see  any  thing 
that  happened  there.  Besides,  we  knew  if  the  wolves 
came  there  or  any  thing  happened  the  dogs  would 
make  such  a  noise  we  would  be  sure  to  wake  up. 
We  intended  to  lay  awake  until  about  twelve  o'clock, 
but  we  had  worked  so  hard  we  was  tired  and  went  to 
sleep.  I  woke  up  all  of  a  sudden  and  found  a  pack  of 
wolves  snarling  and  fighting  over  the  entrails.  Nasho 
had  waked  up  too.  We  both  took  good  aim  at  the 
crowd,  for  they  was  all  mixed  up  so  you  couldn't  see 
any  particular  wolf  to  aim  at,  and  fired  together. 
Then  Nasho  fired  his  other  barrel.  The  wolves  all 
ran  off,  though  some  of  them  stopped  a  few  hundred 
yards  off  and  set  up  a  howl.  We  found  three  dead 
and  another  got  up  and  staggered  off.  Nasho  ran  up 
and  picking  up  a  rock  knocked  him  in  the  head.  They 
were  all  large,  full-grown  gray  mountain  wolves.  We 
went  back  to  bed  and  slept  till  morning.  The  first 
thing  we  fed  the  horses  and  got  breakfast,  and  then 
set  to  work  to  skin  the  wolves.  This  didn't  take  us 
but  a  little  time,  and  then  we  went  to  work  picking 
pecans  again. 


78  LIVE    BOYS. 

By  dinner  time  we  had  picked  up  all  there  were, 
and  thought  we  had  about  thirteen  bushels.  After 
dinner  we  took  down  our  meat,  packed  it  in  the  wagon, 
with  the  hides  of  the  deer,  the  bear  and  the  wolves, 
and  started  home.  It  was  sun-down  by  the  time  we 
got  there  ;  Uncle  was  glad  to  get  the  meat  and  very 
proud  that  I  had  killed  the  bear,  and  we  had  done  so 
well.  It  took  two  hours  to  put  away  the  meat  in  salt 
so  it  wouldn't  spoil,  and  the  hides  packed  up  right, 
and  then  we  went  to  bed  tired  out  but  well  satisfied 
with  our  pecan  hun; 


j  CHAPTER  VIII. 

WILD  BILL    THE    MUSTANG. —  A    FIGHT    BETWEEN    TWO 

STALLIONS. CHARLEY    ROPES    WILD    BILL    FROM    A 

TREE. 

THERE  was  a  wild  horse  that  sometimes  came 
down  into  Kerr  County  that  nobody  could  catch. 
He  was  a  beautiful  blue  roan  about  fourteen  and  a 
half  hands  high,  with  head  and  legs  of  a  deep  mouse 
color,  and  long  hanging  tail  and  mane  almost  black. 
Some  of  the  best  riders  in  the  country  had  tried  to  rope 
him,  but  they  never  could  get  near  enough.  He  ran 
away  from  their  fastest  horses  as  easily  as  from  a  cow, 
and  he  was  always  watching  so  they  couldn't  surprise 
him.  They  tried  to  run  him  down,  first  one  running 
him  and  then  another  on  a  fresh  horse,  but  he  didn't 
seem  to  get  tired,  and  everybody  had  at  last  given  up 
trying  to  catch  him.  Nobody  knew  where  he  came 
from.  He  wasn't  a  regular  mustang,  for  the  mustangs 
had  all  left  the  country  long  before  ;  yet  no  one  who 
had  ever  seen  him  would  think  for  a  minute  that  he 
had  ever  been  in  a  pen.  He  must  have  run  wild 
when  a  colt.  One  Saturday  when  we  was  on  a  cow- 


8O  LIVE    BOYS. 

hunt,  me  and  Nasho,  one  of  the  boys  that  I  met  told 
me  that  Wild  Bill,  as  everybody  called  him,  had  come 
into  the  country  again.  I  had  never  seen  him,  but 
had  often  wished  I  could,  and  as  we  rode  along  I  got 
to  studying  if  there  wasn't  some  way  we  could  catch 
him.  He  was  a  very  uncertain  horse  about  his  range. 
He  had  been  seen  way  over  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Brazos,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Nueces,  and  he  came 
and  went  just  as  if  the  country  belonged  to  him. 
Sometimes  he  would  stay  in  our  range  a  month,  and 
then  again  he  would  just  pass  through  and  be  gone 
again.  There  wasn't  any  use  in  us  trying  to  run  him 
down,  that  was  certain.  We  had  just  as  well  try  to 
catch  an  antelope.  I  thought  maybe  we  could  watch 
him  a  day  or  two  and  when  he  was  quiet  drive  some 
gentle  horses  up  as  close  as  we  could  without  scaring 
him,  and  if  he  went  to  them  as  he  was  most  sure  to 
do,  we  could,  maybe,  by  being  very  careful,  manage  to 
work  the  bunch  into  the  big  beef  pen  at  Seiders'.  I 
asked  Nasho  what  he  thought  about  it. 

"  No  good ;  he  got  too  much  sense  to  go  in  pen." 
But  we  could  go  there  and   cut  brush  and  build 
long  wings  on  each  side  of  the  pen,  and  he  won't  see 
them  until  he  gets  inside  of  them  and  then  he  can't 
turn  back,  for  we'll  be  behind  him. 

"  No  can  do  it.  He  too  sharp  for  that.  Me  know 
better  way  dan  dat."  And  he  told  me  howhe  thought 
we  could  catch  him.  I  thought  so  too  ;  so  when  we 
came  back  that  night  I  told  Uncle  Wild  Bill  had  been 
seen  up  near  Seiders',  and  me  and  Nasho  thought  we 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         8 1 

could  catch  him   if  he  would  let  us  go  Monday  and 
try. 

"  You  would  run  down  every  horse  on  the  place  and 
then  hardly  get  in  sight  of  him." 

No,  Uncle,  we  are  not  going  to  run  him.  We  know 
we  never  could  catch  him  that  way.  I'll  promise  you 
that.  Please  don't  ask  us  how,  but  just  let  us  go 
Monday  and  stay  until  Wednesday  night." 

Uncle  thought  about  it  a  minute  or  two  and  then 
said  : — 

"  I  don't  like  you  boys  leaving  school  to  go  horse- 
hunting  ;  I  am  afraid  you  will  get  so  you  won't  care 
any  thing  about  your  books,  but  I'll  let  you  go  this  time. 
Remember,  you  musn't  run  your  horses.  It  wouldn't  do 
a  bit  of  good,  but  only  break  them  down  for  nothing. 
I  have  no  idea  you  can  pen  him,  and  if  you  had  him 
roped  I  don't  believe  you  could  do  any  thing  with  him. 
But  you  may  go  and  try." 

And  may  we  take  Auntie's  mare  for  Nasho  to 
ride  ? — his  pony  is  lame. 

"  Yes  ;  if  your  Auntie  is  willing."' 

Auntie  was  willing,  so  Monday  morning  we  started 
early  with  our  blankets  and  provision  enough  to  do 
us  until  Wednesday  night.  We  took  good  strong 
ropes  about  thirty  feet  long,  and  a  stout  halter  to  put 
on  him  if  we  did  catch  him.  We  met  Mr.  Seiders 
near  his  place  driving  up  some  horses,  and  he  told  us 
he  had  seen  Wild  Bill  that  morning  with  some  horses 
only  a  few  miles  off.  We  was  glad  to  hear  that,  for 

we  were  afraid  we  might  have  to  hunt  for  him  all  the 
6 


82  LIVE    BOYS. 

days  we  had  to  stay,  and  then  maybe  not  find  him. 
Finding  him  wasn't  catching  him  by  a  heap,  but  it 
was  the  first  thing  toward  it. 

It  wasn't  long  before  we  came  in  sight  of  the  bunch 
Mr.  Seiders  had  told  us  about,  and  we  stopped  at 
once  so  as  not  to  scare  Wild  Bill  if  he  was  with  them. 
Sometimes  he  would  run  off  at  once  if  he  saw  any- 
body, and  again  he  would  let  you  ride  pretty  close  to 
him,  but  if  there  was  three  or  four  together  and  they 
began  to  separate,  he  always  ran  off.  He  knew  he 
could  run  away  from  any  one  man,  but  I  reckon  he 
thought  if  three  or  four  got  around  him  they  might 
get  close  enough  for  one  of  them  to  catch  him. 

The  horses  were  out  in  the  level  open,  but  from 
the  time  of  day — it  was  nearly  dinner  time — and  the 
direction  in  which  they  were  feeding,  we  'most  knew 
they  were  going  to  El  Hoyos  Diablo  *  to  water.  This 
was  a  water  hole  about  a  mile  off  that  everybody  knew. 
It  was  on  the  level,  but  only  a  few  yards  from  a  deep 
hollow  with  high  bluff  banks.  It  was  nearly  round, 
about  thirty  feet  across,  with  rocky  banks>  but  smooth 
as  if  it  had  been  cut  out  of  solid  rock,  and  didn't  seem 
to  have  any  bottom.  One  day  when  we  camped  there 
three  of  us  tied  our  stake  ropes  together,  and  a  rock 
to  the  end,  and  let  them  down  into  it,  but  we  never 
found  bottom,  and  they  were  nearly  a  hundred  feet 
long.  It  never  got  any  fuller,  for  it  couldn't  without 

*  Charley  has  mixed  his  Spanish.  The  right  name  is  El 
Hoyo  Insondable,  or,  The  Bottomless  Hole. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         83 

running  over,  and  there  wasn't  any  branch  that  run 
into  it,  and  it  was  never  any  lower.  Close  to  it,  and 
between  it  and  the  steep  bluff,  was  a  big  spreading 
tree  with  th'.ck  branches.  A  little  below  that  the 
bluff  wasn't  steep,  and  there  was  a  path  where  cattle 
and  cow-hunters  went  up  and  down  from  the  gulch  to 
the  prairie. 

We  took  a  circle  round  so  the  horses  wouldn't  see 
us,  and  got  into  a  little  hollow  that  ran  into  the  Big 
Gulch  below  the  water  hole.  Then  we  rode  up  to  the 
path,  and  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  Gulch,  and  hitched 
our  horses.  Nasho  went  to  a  place  where  he  could  be 
hid  and  watch  the  water  hole,  and  I  took  my  stake 
rope  and  went  to  the  tree,  climbed  it,  and  fixed  myself 
among  the  branches,  where  I  couldn't  be  seen  easy  but 
had  room  to  use  my  arms  and  a  clear  space  below  me. 
I  tied  my  rope  fast  to  the  tree  so  as  to  give  me  about 
twenty  feet  to  use,  and  fixed  a  noose  in  the  other  end 
that  would  stand  open  well  if  I  dropped  it.  It  wasn't 
long  'till  I  heard  Nasho  say  in  a  low  voice  : — "  They 
comin'. " 

I  coiled  my  rope  up  so  it  would  run  out  free,  caught 
it  up  in  my  left  hand,  fixed  my  noose  in  my  right 
hand,  settled  myself  well  in  the  branches  and  waited. 
Directly  they  came  up  along  the  path  that  led  to  the 
water  hole.  There  were  two  or  three  six  months1  old 
colts  in  the  bunch  and  they  were  running  and  frisk- 
ing around,  but  the  others  came  straight  to  the  water 
and  drank.  Then  they  scattered  about  a  little  and 
stood  around  as  horses  often  do  after  drinking.  Wild 


84  LIVE    BOYS. 

Bill  didn't  seem  to  be  much  thirsty,  and  didn't  drink 
much.  Two  or  three  of  the  horses  came  up  to  the 
tree  where  I  was  and  rubbed  and  scratched  themselves 
against  it.  I  kept  hoping  Wild  Bill  would  come  up 
too,  but  he  didn't.  You  see  our  first  plan  was  to  find 
Wild  Bill  by  himself,  or  try  and  work  him  off  by  him- 
self, and  get  in  the  way  he  was  going  without  letting 
him  see  us,  and  tying  the  mare  to  the  tree  where  he 
would  see  her  and  come  to  her,  but  when  we  Lund 
the  horses  near  the  water-hole  we  thought  maybe  he 
would  come  to  the  big  tree  to  scratch  himself  and 
give  me  a  chance  to  catch  him. 

The  horses  began  to  feed  off,  and  I  was  so  disap- 
pointed ;  for  I  knew  when  they  left  that  chance  would 
be  gone,  when  I  saw  Bill  raise  his  head  and  look  up 
in  a  way  that  made  me  know  something  was  up.  I 
was  afraid  at  first  somebody  was  coming,  and  would 
scare  him,  but  I  saw  in  a  second  it  wasn't  that,  for  he 
wasn't  scared.  In  three  or  four  minutes  I  saw  an- 
other bunch  of  horses  coming  from  another  direction, 
with  Mr.  Seiders'  gray  stallion  in  the  lead.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  Wild  Bill  he  neighed  and  ran  up  to  him, 
and  tried  to  catch  him  by  the  neck.  Wild  Bill  was 
ready  for  him,  and  the  fight  began.  They  reared  up 
and  struck  at  each  other  with  their  fore  feet  and  tried 
to  whirl  and  kick  each  other,  but  they  were  both  too 
sharp  for  that,  and  always  managed  to  out  of  the  way. 
Once  or  twice  Wild  Bill  caught  the  gray  by  the  neck 
and  shook  him  like  a  dog  does  a  rat,  but  he  \vould 
break  loose  again.  I  could  see  their  big  eyes  flash, 


S~    TEXAS.  85 

and  they  neighed  and  screamed  all  the  time,  or. 
rather  gray  did,  for  Bill  didn't  make  much  noise.  He 
had  such  a  thick  mane  that  the  gray  couldn't  get  a  hold 
on  his  neck.  As  they  kept  fighting,  rearing  up  and 
whirling  round  to  dodge  each  other  they  kept  getting 
nearer  and  nearer  the  bluff  until  they  was  in  ten  feet 
of  it,  but  neither  of  them  seemed  to  notice  it.  I  came 
very  near  shouting  loud  to  scare  them  away,  but 
thought  I  would  wait  until  the  very  last.  Just  then 
the  gray  made  a  quick  jump  and  caught  Bill  by  the 
neck  close  down  to  the  withers  and  give  him  an  awful 
bite.  I  heard  his  teeth  pop  when  they  came  together. 
Bill  jerked  himself  loose  and  ran  against  the  gray  so 
hard  he  almost  knocked  him  down,  right  on  the  edge 
of  the  bluff.  The  gray  nearly  got  on  his  feet  again 
and  in  throwing  his  head  round,  saw  where  he  was. 
He  made  a  terrible  effort  to  save  himself,  but  just  then 
Wild  Bill  struck  him  again  and  over  he  went  head 
over  heels.  As  he  fell  he  gave  the  most  horrible 
scream  I  ever  heard.  It  seemed  to  go  right  through 
me  and  'most  freeze  me  up,  and  even  now  when  I 
think  about  it  I  shut  my  eyes  and  stop  my  ears  and 
try  to  keep  it  out. 

Wild  Bill  turned  around  and  gave  a  little  low 
neigh  as  much  as  to  say  he  was  satisfied.  Then  he 
started  straight  for  the  tree  to  scratch  his  neck  where 
the  gray  bit  him.  My  heart  nearly  jumped  into  my 
throat  when  I  saw  him  coming,  but  I  fixed  myself  for 
him.  I  was  never  as  much  excited  in  my  life,  not 
even  when  I  killed  the  bear.  I  knew  I  wasn't  in  any 


86  LIVE    BOYS. 

danger,  but  I  was  so  afraid  he  wouldn't  come  close 
enough,  or  I  would  miss  him,  or  something  would 
happen  that  I  wouldn't  catch  him.  Just  as  he  got 
under  me  I  dropped  the  noose  squarely  over  his  head. 
He  made  a  big  jump  and  started  to  run,  but  the  rope 
brought  him  up.  I  was  so  glad  I  wanted  to  holler  as 
loud  as  a  dozen  boys,  but  I  was  afraid  it  might  scare 
him  and  he  might  try  harder  to  get  away  and  break 
the  rope.  He  set  himself  back  and  pulled  until  the 
root  of  his  tail  nearly  touched  the  ground  but  he  was 
fast.  Then  he  jumped  forward  and  ran  as  fast  as  he 
could,  but  the  rope  jerked  him  back  so  hard  it  nearly 
turned  him  a  summerset.  I  was  glad  and  scared 
all  the  time  for  fear  he  would  break  the  rope.  Di- 
rectly Nasho  came  up  at  a  gallop  on  Bullet.  Wild 
Bill  was  pulling  back  as  hard  as  he  could.  Nasho" 
rode  up  behind  him,  touched  him  with  his  foot  and 
as  he  jumped  forward  threw  his  rope  and  caught  both 
fore  feet.  Then  he  tightened  up  his  rope,  whirled 
Bullet,  put  spurs  to  him,  and  as  Bill  raised  his  feet 
for  another  jump,  he  jerked  them  from  under  him  and 
down  he  came  on  his  head.  He  surged  and  jerked 
and  tried  to  get  up,  but  it  wasn't  any  use.  Bullet 
had  him  stretched  out  so  he  couldn't  get  his  feet  un- 
der him.  I  slid  down  the  tree,  got  the  halter  and 
rope  from  Nashq's  saddle  and  ran  up  and  caught  Bill 
by  the  nose  with  one  hand  and  the  ear  with  the  other, 
and  turned  his  head  straight  up.  He  tried  harder 
than  ever  to  get  up,  but  it  was  no  use — we  had  him. 
Then  I  put  the  halter  over  his  head  and  fastened  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         8/ 

rope  to  the  tree.  I  was  sure  of  him  now,  and  I  was 
so  glad  I  hardly  knew  what  to  do. 

Wild  Bild  was  mine. 

There  were  twenty  men  that  would  have  given  two 
hundred  dollars  for  him,  and  one  man  in  San  Antonio 
had  offered  five  hundred  for  him,  but  they  couldn't 
get  him  now.  Me  and  Nasho  had  done  what  a  heap 
of  the  best  cow-hunters  had  tried  to  do  and  couldn't. 
It  was  Nasho's  plan,  but  he  had  agreed  I  was  to  catch 
him  and  have  him  if  we  caught  him.  How  to  get 
him  home  was  the  next  thing. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CHARLEY  RIDES  WILD  BILL. A  LONG    RIDE. A  JUMP 

INTO    THE    RIVER    AND    A    TIGHT  PLACE.  CAMPING 

OUT  ALONE. 

NASHO  left  Bullet  and  went  down  and  got  the 
mare,  and  I  held  Bill  until  he  got  back.  Then 
he  took  the  rope  again,  and  I  took  the  rope  I  had 
caught  him  with  off  from  the  tree  and  his  neck,  and 
fastened  one  end  to  the  halter  and  gave  the  other 
end  to  Nasho.  Then  I  let  the  halter  rope  already 
on  him  loose  from  the  tree  and  got  on  Bullet  as  quick 
as  I  could.  Our  plan  was  to  ride  on  each  side  of  him 
so  he  couldn't  run  hard  against  either  rope  before  the 
other  would  stop  him.  If  he  ran  toward  me,  Nasho 
would  check  him ;  and  if  toward  Nasho,  I  would,  and 
in  this  way  we  thought  we  could,  partly  by  leading, 
and  partly  by  driving,  get  him  home.  Nasho  loosened 
the  rope  round  his  feet  so  that  when  the  horse  got  up 
it  would  come  off,  and  then  rode  about  fifteen  feet  on 
the  other  side  from  me  and  whistled  to  him  to  get  up. 
He  didn't  move.  He  hollered  to  him,  and  rode  up 
closer  and  clapped  his  hands,  and  jerked  the  rope  so 
it  would  hit  him,  but  he  wouldn't  budge. 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  8Q 

•'  He  sulk  now  —  make  much  trouble." 

He  tried  again,  but  the  horse  wouldn't  move. 

All  in  a  minute  I  thought  I  would  ride  him,  and 
said  — 

"  Nasho,  let's  saddle  him  while  he  is  down  and  I'll 
ride  him." 

"  No,  no  !  no  good  !  he  quiet  now,  but  he  pitch  like 
mule  when  he  get  up." 

I  was  afraid  he  would,  but  I  had  been  the  first  one  to 
catch  him  and  I  was  determined  to  be  the  first  to  ride 
him,  and  now  was  as  good  a  time  as  any.  How  proud 
I  would  be  to  ride  up  to  the  house  on  him  !  He 
couldn't  do  any  thing  but  throw  me,  and  it  wouldn't  be 
the  first  time  I  had  been  pitched,  and  I  would  fix  him 
so  he  couldn't  get  away  if  he  did  throw  me. 

I  got  down  and  unsaddled  Bullet  and  took  the  bri- 
dle off.  I  tied  my  rope  to  the  tree  so  if  he  jumped 
up  he  couldn't  get  away.  Then  I  walked  up  and 
dropped  the  blanket  on  him.  He  winced  a  little,  but 
didn't  try  to  get  up.  Then  I  let  the  stirrups  fall  over 
his  sides,  but  he  wouldn't  move.  We  had  a  good  deal 
of  trouble  to  get  the  girth  under  his  belly,  but  at  last 
we  did  and  I  girted  the  saddle  as  tight  as  I  could. 
Then  I  took  my  bridle  reins  off  my  bridle  and  fast- 
ened them  to  the  halter,  for  it  wasn't  any  use  to  put 
the  bridle  on  him.  It's  always  the  best  way  to  ride  a 
wild  horse  with  a  halter.  Then  I  cut  a  stout  stick 
nearly  as  big  as  my  arm  and  about  two  feet  long,  and 
fastened  the  end  of  my  rope  about  the  middle  of  it,  so 
that  if  he  threw  me  and  ran  off  the  stick  would  catch 


QO  LIVE    BOYS. 

in  the  bushes  and  hold  him.  I  cut  another  one  about 
fifteen  inches  long  and  wrapped  it  in  a  piece  of  sad- 
dle-blanket and  fastened  it  tight  to  the  horn  of  my 
saddle  in  front  of  it,  so  he  couldn't  throw  me  out  of 
the  saddle  so  easy  if  he  pitched.  I  coiled  up  my 
rope  and  laid  it  over  the  horn  of  the  saddle  so  I  could 
throw  it  loose  if  I  wanted  to,  and  was  ready  to  get  on 
him.  I  tell  you  I  was  scared.  I  was  'most  certain  he 
would  throw  me,  but  I  was  going  to  try  him  anyhow. 
I  almost  wished  I  hadn't  said  I  would  ride  him. 
Nasho  fastened  his  rope  to  the  tree  and  then  un- 
s:  ddled  the  mare  and  saddled  Bullet.  I  let  his  rope 
loose  from  the  halter,  gathered  up  my  reins,  put  my 
foot  in  the  stirrup  and  swung  myself  in  the  saddle  as 
well  as  I  could  with  him  lying  down.  He  jumped  up 
quicker  than  any  thing  I  ever  saw  except  a  buffalo,  and 
started  off  in  a  run.  I  was  glad  of  it,  for  I  had  a  heap 
rather  he  would  run  than  pitch,  and  I  got  my  feet  in 
the  stirrups  and  settled  myself  well  in  the  saddle. 

When  he  had  run  about  a  mile  I  looked  back  and 
saw  Nasho  coming,  but  he  was  a  good  way  back. 
Wild  Bill  was  too  fast  for  Bullet.  He  kept  straight  on 
in  a  long  swinging  gallop  that  got  over  a  heap  of 
ground  in  a  hurry.  Up  hill  and  down,  jumping  hol- 
lows, through  the  brush,  he  never  stopping  for  any 
thing.  I  looked  ahead  and  saw  a  creek  and  was 
afraid  it  had  steep  banks.  As  we  got  nearer  I  saw  a 
little  to  the  right  a  path  that  I  knew  went  to  the 
creek,  where  there  was  a  crossing,  and  tried  my  best 
to  pull  his  head  around  so  ha  would  get  in  it,  but  it 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         9 1 

was  no  use.  I  might  as  well  have  pulled  against  an 
elephant.  We  kept  getting  closer  to  the  creek.  The 
bank  was  a  bluff,  but  I  couldn't  stop  or  turn  Bill.  I 
caught  my  reins  up  tight,  clinched  to  my  saddle,  shut 
my  eyes,  and  over  we  went  The  bottom  was  deep 
mud,  so  it  didn't  hurt  us.  Bill  gathered  himself  up, 
turned  down  to  the  crossing,  galloped  through  the 
water  up  the  bank  and  into  the  bottom.  By  good 
luck  he  took  the  path,  and  by  dodging  down  to  his 
neck  to  miss  low  branches,  and  twisting  around  every 
way  to  keep  others  from  dragging  me  out  of  the  sad- 
dle, I  managed  to  stick  to  him  till  he  got  out  on  to  the 
prairie  again.  I  got  some  hard  licks  from  swinging 
branches  and  bushes  by  the  path,  but  I  was  very  glad 
to  get  off  with  that.  Running  through  the  bottom  had 
checked  him  up  a  little,  but  as  soon  as  he  got  out  he 
struck  out  in  his  long  gallop  again.  I  knew  by  the 
sun  and  the  way  he  was  going  we  must  have  come 
ten  miles,  but  he  didn't  seem  the  least  bit  tired. 

All  right,  old  fellow,  I  thought.  This  is  better 
tha'i  pitching.  I  can  stand  it  as  long  as  you  can. 

It  was  glorious  riding,  I  tell  you.  A  broad,  open 
prairie,  not  level  and  flat,  but  running  in  long,  easy 
swells,  the  ground  was  smooth  and  hard  and  no  holes, 
and  the  grass  not  high  enough  to  be  in  the  way,  and 
not  many  gullies.  I  felt  like  I  coulcl  ride  that  way 
all  day.  He  didn't  shake  me  much  more  than  if 
I  had  been  sitting  in  a  chair.  I  would  have  liked  it 
a  heap  better  if  I  could  have  done  any  thing  with 
him,  but  I  could  neither  stop  or  guide  him.  He 


92  LIVE    BOYS. 

didn't  have  any  idea  of  any  thing  but  going  straight 
ahead. 

I  had  just  looked  at  the  sun  and  thought  we  must 
have  come  nearly  ten  miles  more,  when  I  saw  timber 
ahead  and  I  knew  it  was  on  some  stream,  a  good  big 
one  by  the  looks  of  it.  It  must  be  the  Colorado.  I  be- 
gan to  get  scared,  for  we  might  strike  it  at  a  bluff,  and 
where  it  was  swimming,  and  I  knew  I  couldn't  stop 
my  horse.  I  was  a  good  swimmer,  but  I  didn't  like 
the  idea  of  jumping  into  swimming  water  on  a  horse 
I  couldn't  manage.  I  thought  about  throwing  my 
rope  down  and  jumping  out  of  the  saddle,  but  I  knew 
I  was  most  sure  to  get  hurt  that  way,  and  there  wasn't 
any  bushes  to  catch  the  stick,  and  I  had  ridden  him 
so  far  I  didn't  like  to  give  up  now.  We  kept  going 
like  a  flash,  it  seemed  to  me,  and  my  heart  was  beat- 
ing faster  and  faster  —  I  believe  it  would  have  come 
out  of  my  mouth  if  it  could  have  got  through  my 
throat,  but  it  stuck  there  and  nearly  choked  me.  I 
had  a  heap  rather  he  had  commenced  pitching,  bi.t  he 
just  kept  straight  on.  I  couldn't  see  the  water;  the 
bank  must  be  bluff — closer  and  closer;  oh  !  how  my 
heart  beat  when  I  saw  a  steep  bluff  forty  feet  high, 
and  blue,  still  water  at  the  bottom.  I  would  have 
jumped  out  of  the  saddle  if  I  could,  but  it  was  too 
late.  I  caught  my  reins  tight,  clinched  to  my  saddle, 
jammed  my  hat  on  my  head,  shut  my  eyes,  and  over 
we  went.  It  seemed  to  me  an  hour  before  we  struck 
the  water.  We  must  have  turned  a  complete  summer- 
set but  we  hit  the  water  feet  foremost  and  under  we 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        93 

went.  Ugh !  how  the  cold  water  made  me  shiver. 
I  thought  we  never  would  come  up  again,  but  we  did. 
I  was  'most  stifled  and  strangled,  but  I  held  0:1  to  my 
reins  and  clinched  to  the  saddle.  My  horse  just 
stopped  a  second  to  blow  the  water  out  of  his  nose 
and  struck  out  for  the  other  bank  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  He  swum  high  out  of  the  water  and 
straight  as  a  boat  could  pull.  If  there  hadn't  been 
any  thing  in  the  way  he  would  have  made  the  other 
bank  without  any  trouble,  and  I  reckon  would  have 
run  twenty  miles  further.  But  we  wasn't  to  get  out 
so  easy. 

Out  in  the  middle  of  the  river  where  the  current 
was  strongest  a  young  cottonwood  tree  had  drifted 
and  lodged.  The  butt  end  and  roots  had  caught  on  a 
bank  that  came  up  to  the  top  of  the  water,  and  the 
branches  had  lodged  against  an  old  snag  sticking  out 
of  the  water  that  held  them.  The  current  was  carry- 
ing us  right  down  against  the  branches.  I  had  taken 
my  feet  out  of  the  stirrups  and  got  my  knife  as  quick 
as  I  could  and  cut  the  strings  that  fastened  the  stick 
in  front  of  my  saddle  so  I  could  get  out  easier.  The 
horse  did  his  best  to  swim  up  stream  enough  to  clear 
the  tree-top,  but  it  was  no  use.  \\'e  kept  getting 
nearer  and  nearer  until  we  struck  it  and  lodged.  My 
horse  reared  and  pawed  with  his  fore  feet,  and  tried 
to  turn  round  so  he  could  swim  away,  but  he  couldn't. 
The  current  kept  pushing  him  against  the  branches, 
and  he  had  to  keep  working  to  keep  from  being  suck- 
ed under  and  drowned.  I  had  stuck  to  him  till  now, 


94  LIVE   BOYS. 

but  I  couldn't  do  any  good  there  so  I  slid  out  of  the 
saddle  and  swum  to  the  branches  and  caught  hold  of 
one  and  drew  myself  out  of  the  water.  Poor  fellow  ! 
he  was  scared  now  sure  enough,  and  whimpered  to 
me  and  looked  at  me  as  much  as  to  ask  me  not  to  leave 
him.  I  was  so  sorry  for  him  I  just  determined  I 
wouldn't  leave  him  as  long  as  he  could  keep  his  head 
above  water  or  I  could  swim  a  lick.  I  crawled  along 
the  branches  to  him  and  patted  his  head  and  spoke 
kindly  to  him,  and  he  kept  up  a  low  whinnying  as  if 
thanking  me.  He  wasn't  a  bit  afraid  of  me  now.  I 
felt  so  sorry  I  believe  I  cried.  But  being  sorry 
didn't  do  any  good,  and  if  I  couldn't  get  him  out  of 
there  pretty  soon  he  would  give  way  and  be  sucked 
under  and  drowned. 

I  couldn't  see  any  way  to  get  him  loose.  I  couldn't 
swim  out  into  the  river  and  pull  him  away  from  the 
tree  for  he  was  stronger  than  I  was,  and  he  couldn't 
swim  away  himself.  He  had  tried  it  two  or  three 
times.  I  couldn't  pull  him  up  along  the  tree  because 
he  was  tangled  in  the  branches  and  couldn't  get  out. 
I  was  just  about  to  give  it  up  and  it  seemed  as  if  my 
heart  would  most  break  to  sit  there  and  see  him 
drown  right  before  my  eyes  asking  me  to  help 
him,  when  I  happened  to  think  of  what  Parson  Theg- 
lin  had  said  to  me  about  steady  thinking.  I  couldn't 
get  him  loose,  that  was  certain,  but  may  be  I  could 
get  the  tree  loose.  I  crawled  to  him  again,  patted 
and  rubbed  his  head  and  told  him  I  was  going  to  get 
him  loose,  and  then  began  to  work  my  way  along  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         95 

tree  toward  the  butt  end.  As  I  got  away  from  him 
he  whinnied  to  me  so  pitiful  I  could  hardly  help  but 
turn  back  to  him,  but  I  looked  round  at  him,  stopped 
a  moment  and  hollered  to  him  — 

"All  right,  old  fellow,  I'll  come  back  directly  and 
help  you  out." 

He  seemed  to  know  I  was  trying  to  help  him,  and 
hushed.  I  got  down  to  the  end  of  the  tree  and  found 
it  had  caught  by  some  roots  against  a  big  rock  around 
which  the  sand  had  washed  so  as  to  make  it  look  like 
a  sand-bar.  The  roots  wasn't  big  ones,  and  wouldn't 
have  held  it  if  some  grape-vines  that  were  wrapped 
round  the  trunk  hadn't  caught  too,  and  help  hold  it. 

I  had  my  camp  knife  in  my  belt,  and  got  it  out. 
It  wasn't  very  long,  but  it  was  heavy  and  sharp,  and  I 
cut  the  grape-vines,  and  then  commenced  on  the  roots. 
It  didn't  take  me  long  to  hack  two  of  them  in  two, 
and  the  rest  broke,  and  the  butt  end  began  to  float 
down  stream,  I  crawled  back  as  fast  as  I  could  to  the 
other  end,  and  cut  the  branch  that  was  holding  my 
horse.  Then  I  got  the  rope  from  the  horn  of  my  sad- 
dle, and  swum  to  the  snag  that  was  holding  the  tree, 
for  I  couldn't  crawl  any  further  on  the  branches,  and 
wrapped  my  rope  around  it.  The  tree  began  to  move 
down  stream  slow,  and  as  the  branches  gave  way  from 
the  snag,  they  raked  and  scraped  me  terribly ;  but  I 
hung  on  to  the  snag  and  my  rope.  It  was  taking  the 
horse  with  it ;  but  when  he  got  to  the  end  of  the  rope, 
it  stopped  him.  The  branches  jerked  him  under  once, 
and  then  swept  round  him  and  left  him  free.  I  call- 


96  LIVE    BOYS. 

ed  him,  and  he  whinnied  and  turned  and  swam  to  me. 
I  coiled  my  rope  up  as  he  came,  and  when  he  got  to 
me,  patted  and  rubbed  his  head  a  second  or  two, 
and  got  into  the  saddle  and  turned  his  head  across 
stream  again.  He  could  make  it  now  without  any 
trouble,  and  the  bank  was  low  so  we  could  get  out. 

Just  as  I  was  thinking  our  trouble  was  over  I  looked 
again  at  what  I  first  thought  was  a  lump  of  clay,  and 
saw  it  was  a  calf's  head.  It  had  bogged.  It  wouldn't 
do  to  land  there.  So  I  turned  his  head  down  stream 
again.  He  looked  round  as  if  to  ask  me  what  that 
was  for,  but  didn't  pull  a  bit.  I  could  manage  him 
without  any  trouble.  A  few  steps  below  the  low 
place  there  was  a  big  bluff,  and  we  had  to  swim  down 
the  river  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  I  would  have  turned 
him  across  stream  again  where  the  bank  was  low,  but 
it  looked  like  it  might  be  boggy,  and  I  knew  he  was 
tired,  and  it  was  aheap  easier  swimming  down  stream. 
I  got  out  of  the  saddle  and  held  to  his  mane  with  one 
hand,  and  the  reins  with  the  other,  and  tried  to  help 
as  much  as  I  could  by  kicking  for  myself.  It  seemed 
to  me  a  long  time,  though  I  know  from  the  distance  it 
couldn't  have  been  but  a  few  minutes  before  we  came 
to  a  little  flat  place  running  out  into  the  water,  and  a 
path  from  it  going  up  the  hill.  I  knew  it  was  a  stock 
watering  place,  and  turned  his  head  to  it.  In  a  minute 
we  were  out  on  dry  land  again,  and  glad  to  get  thertf 
too  I  tell  you. 

I  rode  up  the  hill  and  found  we  had  come  out  in  a 
l.'ttle  valley  where  the  grass  was  good.  I  turned  him 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        97 

down  to  an  old  dead  tree  and  got  off  of  him.  He 
rubbed  his  nose  against  my  face,  whinnying  as  if  he 
was  trying  to  thank  me  forgetting  him  loose.  I  patted 
his  head  and  neck  and  talked  to  him  as  if  he  had  been 
a  boy,  and  knew  what  I  was  saying.  Then  I  unsad- 
dled him  and  staked  him  out  to  get  some  grass.  He 
was  hungry,  and  went  to  eating,  though  every  little 
while  he  would  come  up  for  me  to  pat  him,  and  rub 
his  nose  against  my  face. 

I  got  my  matches  out  of  my  pocket,  and  made  a 
a  fire  to  dry  my  clothes  and  saddle-blanket.  They 
were  in  a  bottle  corked  up  tight,  and  hadn't  got  wet. 
It's  the  best  way  to  carry  matches  I  ever  saw.  Uncle 
told  me  about  it,  and  told  me  too,  always  to  carry  them 
in  my  pocket,  and  not  in  my  saddle-pockets,  for  if  my 
horse  got  away  I  would  have  them  with  me. 

I  was  hungry,  for  I  hadn't  eat  any  dinner;  but  Nasho 
had  our  provisions,  and  there  wasn't  any  house  near. 
I  looked  around  to  see  if  I  could  see  any  birds,  and  in 
moving  about  a  rabbit  jumped  up  almost  from  under 
my  feet  and  ran  off.  I  followed  him,  and  saw  him  go 
into  a  hollow  in  a  tree  close  to  the  ground.  I  cut  a 
little  green  stick  with  a  fork  at  the  end,  and  twisted 
him  out  directly.  It  didn't  take  me  long  to  skin  and 
wash  him  at  the  river,  nor  to  c:ok  him  either.  I  found 
some  salt  in  my  saddle-pockets  in  a  bottle,  and  there 
was  plenty  of  red  pepper  growing  along  the  river  bank, 
and  I  made  a  good  meal  off  of  him. 

By  the  time  I  had  finished  my  dinner  my  clothes 
and  saddle-blanket  was  dry,  and  I  put  them  o  i.  The 
7 


98  LIVE    BOYS. 

sun  wasn't  more  than  half  an  hour  high,  but  I  wanted 
to  get  across  the  river  before  night,  and  find  a  house 
where  I  could  stay  all  night,  for  I  didn't  have  any 
provisions  or  blankets,  and  it's  lonesome  camping  out 
by  yourself.  I  rode  down  the  river  a  mile  and  found 
a  ford  and  crossed,  but  didn't  see  any  house.  Then 
I  rode  up  the  river  two  miles  above  where  I  had  swam 
it,  but  still  didn't  find  any  house,  so  I  thought  I  had 
as  well  camp.  I  stopped  at  the  first  open  place  where 
there  was  grass  and  wood,  unsaddled  my  horse,  staked 
him  out  and  gathered  up  wood  enough  to  keep  up  fire 
all  night.  In  getting  up  wood  I  started  another  rab- 
bit, and  caught  him  like  the  other  one.  I  didn't  want 
any  supper,  so  I  just  cleaned  him  and  hung  him  up  in 
a  young  tree  where  nothing  could  get  to  him.  Then 
I  saw  some  old,  black  moss,  and  got  a  lot  and  made 
me  a  bed  of  it.  By  this  time  it  was  dark  ;  so  I  tied 
my  horse  up  close  so  he  couldn't  hurt  himself  with 
the  rope,  but  leaving  him  room  to  lie  down  if  he  want- 
ed to,  and  after  petting  him  a  little  went  to  bed.  I 
wasn't  any  more  afraid  of  him  than  I  am  now,  and  he 
wasn't  afraid  of  me,  or  the  saddle,  or  the  rope,  or  any 
thing  about  me.  I  waked  up  cold  once  or  twice  in 
the  night,  and  put  on  more  wood,  and  went  out  and 
petted  my  horse  a  little  and  then  lay  down  and  went 
to  sleep  again.  The  moss  made  a  soft  bed,  and  the 
saddle-blanket  was  plenty  of  covering  with  the  fire. 
I  was  a  little  bit  afraid  of  panthers,  but  I  was  too  tired 
to  keep  awake. 

I  woke  up  early  next  morning,  staked  my  horse  so 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         99 

he  could  eat  grass,  and  began  cooking  my  rabbit.  It 
was  cold,  and  I  put  on  a  good  deal  of  wood  and  it 
made  a  blazing  fire.  Directly  I  happened  to  look  up 
and  saw  my  horse  watching  something.  It  was  Nasho. 
Wasn't  I  glad  to  see  him  !  He  had  followed  my  trail 
all  the  way  but  was  stopped  by  the  darkness  only  half 
a  mile  from  the  river,  and  had  camped  as  I  did,  though 
he  had  provisions  and  coffee,  and  our  blankets.  It 
wasn't  many  minutes  before  we  had  a  pot  of  coffee  on, 
and  some  bacon  cooking,  and  while  we  ate  breakfast 
he  told  me  how  he  followed  the  trail  after  he  lost  sight 
of  me. 

Once  a  bunch  of  horses  had  got  in  the  path  and  he 
couldn't  see  my  horse's  prints  at  all,  but  he  kept  on 
the  way  I  had  been  going  and  pretty  soon  he  struck 
them  again.  He  said  sometimes  on  the  prairie  he 
could  scarcely  see  the  tracks,  but  generally  he  kept  on 
as  fast  as  his  horse  could  travel.  When  he  got 
to  the  bluff  where  we  had  jumped  off  he  didn't  know 
what  to  do,  but  turned  down  the  river  to  see  if  he 
could  see  anywhere  I  could  get  out,  intending  to  go 
down  and  look  for  the  tracks,  when  he  happened  to 
see  my  fire  and  came  to  me. 

"  Me  mighty  glad  to  see  you  ;  for  me  tought  you 
was  gone  up  when  me  see  tracks  go  over  bluff." 

I  told  him  I  was  mighty  glad  to  see  him  too.  There 
ain't  many  American  boys  that  would  have  followed 
me  up  as  he  did.  Nasho  '11  do  to  trust  every  time  if 
he  likes  anybody. 

After  breakfast  we  started  back,  and  that  night  we 


100  LIVE    BOYS. 

reached  home.  Uncle  was  very  much  surprised  to 
see  me  come  riding  up  on  a  strange  horse,  and  a  heap 
more  so  when  I  told  him  how  we  had  caught  him 
and  what  a  ride  I  had  had.  He  said  I  ought  not  to 
have  got  on  him,  and  it  was  a  wonder  I  hadn't  been 
killed ;  but  I  heard  him  tell  Auntie  that  those  boys 
would  do  to  go  to  the  Centennial — no  fear  about  their 
not  being  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  From  that 
day  to  this  I  have  never  had  the  least  bit  of  trouble 
with  my  horse,  and  I  wouldn't  take  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars for  him.  I  don't  want  to  take  any  more  such 
rides,  but  I  wouldn't  have  missed  that  one  for  a  heap. 


CHAPTER    X. 

TRIP    TO    SAN    ANTONIO. A    NEW    FRIEND. 

THE  week  before  Christmas  we  asked  Uncle  if  we 
might  go  to  San  Antonio  and  sell  our  pecans  and 
turkeys.  He  said  yes.  We  took  the  wagon  bed  and 
put  long  slats  to  it  for  side  boards  and  over  it  so  as  to 
make  it  a  big  coop.  We  had  one  already  made  for 
the  partridges.  One  wagon  would  near  hold  all  our 
stuff,  so  we  borrowed  Mr.  Lowry's  and  brought  it  to 
Uncle's  so  as  to  get  an  early  start  next  morning. 
Auntie  cooked  bread  enough  to  last  us  there  and 
back,  and  ground  coffee,  and  we  took  some  dried  beef 
too. 

Next  morning  we  hitched  up  the  horses  to  the 
wagons,  one  span  to  each,  and  started.  One  wagon 
had  fifty  turkeys  and  twelve  dozen  partridges,  and  the 
other  fifteen  bushels  of  pecans.  We  took  old  Bose 
with  us  to  keep  the  hogs  and  cattle  away  from  our 
horses  while  they  were  eating.  We  had  to  take  corn 
and  fodder  for  them,  for  there  ain't  much  grass  on  the 
road  in  winter.  Neither  of  us  had  ever  been  there, 
but  Uncle  told  us  the  road  and  we  knew  we  could 
find  it  It  was  the  main  big  road  all  the  way. 


IO2  LIVE    BOYS. 

I  'most  forgot  Nasho's  wax  figures.  He  had  some 
of  the  best  and  prettiest  he  had  ever  made,  for  Miss 
Masover  had  helped  him  a  great  deal  and  he  had 
taken  a  heap  of  pains  with  them.  One  of  them  was 
a  Mexican  on  a  black  horse  roping  a  white  bull.  The 
Mexican  had  on  a  red  jacket,  and  yellow  pants  with 
buttons  down  the  sides  and  open  from  the  top  of  "his 
shiny  black  boots,  and  a  red  sash  around  his  waist, 
and  a  broad  brimmed  hat,  and  every  thing  was  just  as 
natural  as  could  be.  He  was  whirling  the  rope 
around  his  head,  and  his  horse  was  wheeling  on  his 
hind  legs  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  bull  that  was 
running  at  him  with  his  head  down  to  hook  him. 
They  were  both  fast  to  a  little  stand  that  could  be  set 
on  the  mantle  or  a  table. 

Another  one  was  an  Indian  woman  sitting  over  a 
little  fire  cooking  a  lizard  stuck  on  a  stick.  Wrapped 
up  in  her  blanket  was  a  little  Indian  baby.  Off  to 
one  side  was  an  Indian  coming  to  camp  with  a  deer 
en  his  back.  They  were  all  as  poor  and  scrauny  as 
could  be,  and  looked  'most  starved,  as  they  must  have 
been  to  eat  lizards,  but  they  were  going  to  have 
plenty  to  eat  now  that  the  hunter  had  come  back  with 
game.  There  were  some  trees  back  of  the  camp  and 
big  rocks  with  moss  growing  over  them  and  all  just 
as  natural  as  if  they  had  been  actual  little  people,  and 
trees  and  rocks.  Then  he  had  men  and  women 
dressed  in  Mexican  fashion  carrying  baskets  of  all 
kinds  of  vegetables  and  fruits,  and  chickens,  and 
turkeys,  and  parrots,  and  cages  of  birds,  and  every 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.        IO3 

thing  was  just  like  life  and  colored  just  like  what  it 
was  made  to  represent.  Miss  Masover  gave  us  a  letter 
to  one  of  her  friends  in  the  city,  that  she  said  would 
help  us  sell  the  wax  figures  so  as  to  get  more  for 
them  than  we  would  by  ourselves.  We  started  early 
Tuesday  morning,  and  Thursday,  about  ten  o'clock,  at 
the  eight-mile  hill,  we  came  in  sight  of  San  Antonio. 
It  made  me  think  of  what  I  had  read  of  oasis  in  the 
desert.  We  were  travelling  over  a  rough  country  with  a 
good  many  rocks  and  not  much  timber,  and  scrubby 
too,  and  only  now  and  then  a  house,  and  all  of  a  sud- 
den on  getting  to  the  top  of  a  long  hill  there  was  a 
city  almost  under  one's  feet,  it  looked  so  close.  It 
was  a  pretty  sight,  the  big  white  houses  thick  together, 
and  the  church  steeples  looking  like  arrows  pointing 
to  heaven,  and  the  pretty  little  houses  shining  among 
the  trees  around  them.  In  the  spring,  when  the  trees 
are  all  in  full  leaf,  it  must  be  a  great  deal  prettier. 

We  drove  right  into  the  city  to  the  main  Plaza.  The 
last  mile  there  were  houses  all  the  way,  and  the  road 
was  through  a  lane.  Alongside  of  it,  part  of  the  way, 
was  a  ditch  full  to  the  brim  of  clear  running  water. 
Some  of  the  houses  on  the  road  were  the  finest  I  had 
ever  seen.  They  had  large  yards  in  front  of  them, 
laid  off  with  trees,  and  evergreen  shrubs,  and  flower- 
beds in  all  shapes  and  forms.  Some  of  them  were  of 
brick,  but  most  of  them  were  frame,  painted  white, 
with  green  shutters,  and  nearly  all  had  fences  in  front 
of  them  of  palings  with  fancy  cut  tops.  One  had  a 
w.re  fence,  but  it  wasn't  pretty.  It  looked  like  no  fence 


104  '    LIVE    BOYS. 

at  all,  and  like  any  one  could  go  into  the  house  that 
wanted  to.  Sometimes  right  next  to  the  yard  of  a 
fine,  large  house  with  a  beautiful  yard  would  be  sever- 
al little  huts,  just  one  room  and  a  dirt  floor,  and  noth- 
ing in  the  little  pen  of  a  yard  but  two  or  three  poor 
dogs  without  any  hair  on  them.  They  were  mostly 
Mexican  Jacals,  where  the  poor  Mexicans,  called  peons, 
or  greasers,  lived,  and  the  dogs  were  Mexican  dogs 
called  pelones.  A  peon  is  really  a  Mexican  who  owes 
another  man  and  has  to  work  for  him  till  he  pays  him, 
and  that  is  not  allowed  in  Texas,  but  all  poor  Mexicans 
are  called  peons  or  greasers.  Sometimes  we  would  see 
Mexican  women  washing  at  the  ditches,  or  maybe 
cooking  something  over  a  little  fire  out  of  doors. 

When  we  got  into  the  city,  we  found  a  great  many 
people  coming  ard  going  in  wagons  and  carriages  and 
on  horseback,  and  we  had  to  keep  a  good  look-out  to 
prevent  getting  run  into,  or  running  into  somebody. 
Bose  got  under  my  wagon.  Everybody  seemed  to  be 
in  a  hurry.  Most  of  the  wagons  that  was  going  in 
had  corn,  or  fodder,  or  wood,  or  chickens  and  turkeys, 
or  something  else  to  eat  that  was  raised  in  the  coun- 
try, while  those  that  were  coming  out  had  all  sorts  of 
packages  out  of  stores.  Once  in  a  while  one  would 
have  a  new  plow,  or  harrow,  or  cultivator.  A  good 
many  of  the  farmer's  had  their  wives  or  daughters 
with  them,  and  one  or  two  looked  like  the  whole 
family  had  come  in  for  Christmas. 

I'ne  Plaza  was  full  of  wagons  coming  and  going, 
and  a  good  many  standing  still  waiting  for  somebody 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN     TEXAS.  JO5 

to  come  and  buy.  When  I  saw  so  many  wagons  with 
turkeys  and  chickens,  I  was  afraid  there  wasn't  much 
chance  for  us  to  sell  ours  ;,but  when  I  saw  so  many 
people  I  knew  it  would  take  a  great  many  to  do  them 
all,  and  ours  was  prime  fat. 

Pretty  soon  a  man  came  along  with  a  pencil  behind 
his  ear,  and  seeing  our  loads  stopped  and  asked  us 
where  we  was  from. 

From  Kerrville,  sir. 

"  Did  you  come  by  yourselves  ?  " 

Yes,  sir. 

"  Where  did  you  get  so  many  wild  turkeys  ?  " 

We  caught  them  in  pens,  and  the  partridges  in 
traps. 

"  Why  you  are  lucky  little  fellows.  You  will  be 
rich  when  you  sell  them." 

Oh  no,  sir,  we  want  more  money  than  that ! 

He  seemed  so  kind,  and  to  feel  so  much  interest  in 
us,  that  I  just  thought  I  would  tell  him  all  about  it,  so 
I  told  him  we  was  going  to  the  Centennial,  and  had 
been  working  to  get  money  to  buy  horses  to  dnve 
cattle  with,  and  how  we  caught  the  turkeys,  and  about 
killing  the  deer,  and  bear,  and  catching  Wild  Bill. 
He  listened  with  a  great  deal  of  interest,  and  asked 
us  a  great  many  questions,  and  wanted  to  see  the  wax 
figures,  but  they  was  packed  up  so  close  and  carefully 
we  couldn't  get  at  them  there.  I  told  him  we  had  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Gamble  about  them. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "  Charley,  you  go  with  me  to  Mr. 
Gamble's  store,  and  we  will  sec  what  caa  be  done  in 


IC>6  LIVE    BOYS. 

the  way  of  helping  you  to  sell  them.  We  must  make 
them  bring  a  good  price.  Your  little  friend  here, 
what's  his  name  ? " 

I  told  him  Ygnacio,  but  we  called  him  Nasho  for 
short. 

"  Well,  Nasho  will  stay  with  the  wagons  until  you 
come.  I  carried  the  box,  for  it  wasn't  very  heavy,  and 
we  went  to  the  store.  It  was  full  of  books  and  pic- 
tures, and  piles  of  paper  and  toys,  and  pretty  things. 

When  the  box  was  opened  they  all  said  it  was  fine 
work,  and  as  pretty  figures  as  the)'  had  ever  seen, 
though  they  have  a  great  deal  of  that  kind  of  work  in 
San  Antonio.  A  lady  who  came  up,  asked  who  made 
them.  I  told  her  Nasho. 

The  man  who  had  come  with  me  then  told  them 
something  about  us,  and  that  we  wanted  to  sell  our 
things  so  we  could  go  to  the  Centennial.  While  they 
were  talking,  I  gave  Mr.  Gamble  the  letter  from  Miss 
Masover.  He  read  it  and  then  shook  hands  with  me, 
and  asked  me  a  good  many  questions  about  her,  and 
then  invited  me  to  come  to  his  house  and  bring  Nasho 
with  me  and  stay  all  night.  I  thanked  him,  but  told 
him  we  would  have  to  stay  with  our  wagons.  Then 
the  gentleman  who  came  with  us  said : — 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Gamble,  we  must  have  a  raffle,  or 
an  auction,  and  sell  these  things  for  these  little  fellows, 
and  make  them  bring  a  good  price." 

"  But,  Mr.  Penseler,  I  have  got  just  such  things  on 
hand  now,  and  they  don't  seem  to  sell  much." 

"  Will  you  auction  them  off  if  I  send  the  people 
here?" 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        IO/ 

"  Yes,  with  pleasure." 

"  At  what  hour." 

"  Eleven  o'clock  will  be  as  good  a  time  as  any." 

"  All  right  ;  you  be  ready  and  I'll  engage  to  have 
the  people  here.  And  be  sure  you  make  them  bring 
the  last  cent." 

Then  he  stepped  into  a  store  with  bolts  of  goods 
piled  up  on  boxes  in  front  of  it,  and  clothes  and  boots 
and  shoes  stuck  and  hung  wherever  there  was  any 
place  for  them,  and  come  out  in  a  minute  with  a  square 
piece  of  red  flannel  with  a  broad  yellow  stripe  pinned 
across  both  sides. 

"  Now  Charley,"  said  he,  you  fasten  this  to  a  stick 
and  put  it  in  front  of  your  wagon  where  it  can  be  seen 
all  round,  and  you  and  Nasho  drive  your  wagons  right 
where  I  found  you  this  evening  to-morrow  morning, 
as  soon  as  you  get  your  breakfast,  and  you  won't  have 
any  trouble  in  selling  what  you  have.  What  do  you 
ask  for  your  turkeys  ?  " 

Fifty  cents  for  the  hens,  and  six  bits  for  the  gob- 
blers. 

"  You  ask  six  bits  for  the  hens  and  a  dollar  for  the 
gobblers  " 

But  that  is  more  than  they  are  worth,  sir. 

"  Not  a  cent.  They  are  fat  on  corn  and  stuff,  and 
besides  turkeys  don't  get  caught  that  way  every  day." 

I  don't  like  not  to  do  as  you  say,  sir,  but  everybody 
sells  them  that  way,  and  it  don't  seem  to  me  to  be 
right  to  ask  more." 

"  I    am   glad   to    see  you    are    honest,    though    I 


1O8  LIVE    BOYS. 

would  have  sworn  to  that  anyhow.  Everybody  asks 
all  they  can  get,  and  you  must  do  the  same.  It  is 
not  everybody  wants  to  go  to  the  Centennial  — 
bad  enough  to  work  as  you  little  fellows  have  done 
for  it,  and  you  must  have  all  you  can  get — you  will 
want  it  when  you  get  there.  I  wouldn't  tell  you  to 
do  any  thing  that  was  wrong,  Charley.  There  ain't 
so  many  honest  men  in  the  world  that  we  can  afford 
to  spoil  any  that  are  coming  on  and  make  rogues  of 
them.  Will  you  do  as  I  say  ?  " 

I  wish  I  could,  sir,  but  indeed  I  can't.  It  don't 
seem  to  me  it  would  be  right.  Please  don't  think  I 
am  setting  myself  up  against  you,  sir  ;  indeed  I  am 
not,  but  you  know  every  one  must  do  what  seems 
right  to  them,  and  it  don't  seem  right  to  me  to  ask 
more  than  other  people.  It  would  seem  like  we 
wanted  to  swindle  people. 

"  You  look  like  swindling  people,  don't  you,  bless 
your  green  little  heart'!  all  right,  Charley  ;  I  don't 
want  you  to  do  what  you  don't  think  is  right ;  but 
think  about  it  to-night  and  see  if  I  am  not  right. 
Remember,  people  don't  have  to  buy  of  you.  You 
ask  your  price,  and  if  they  are  not  willing  to  give  it, 
they  can  go  somewhere  else.  When  you  come  to 
buy  your  horses  whoever  sells  to  you  will  ask  all  he 
thinks  he  can  get.  At  what  wagon  yard  do  you 
stop  ? " 

I  told  him. 

"  That's  a  good  one.  Watch  your  wagons  to-night, 
ah  !  I  see  you  have  got  Bose  along.  I'll  warrant  no- 


CHARLEY    AND    XASHO    IN    TEXAS.  lOQ 

body  will  steal  any  thing  without  his  knowing  it.  Put 
up  your  flag  when  you  get  up  in  the  morning  and 
after  breakfast  drive  where  I  told  you,  and  my  word 
for  it  by  ten  o'clock  you  won't  have  a  turkey  or  par- 
tridge left.  Then  drive  back  to  the  yard  and  leave 
your  wagons  and  look  about  tovi,  and  at  eleven  come 
to  Gamble's  and  watch  your  figures  sold." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    GET    THEIR    NAMES    IN    THE 
PAPER. 

AS  it  was  nearly  dark  we  went  to  the  wagon  yard 
and  put  up.  There  were  a  great  many  others 
in  the  yard,  but  we  did  not  believe  they  would  try  to 
steal  from  us,  and  if  they  should  we  knew  Bose  would 
wake  us  up. 

Next  morning  we  were  up  by  the  first  peep  of  day, 
fed  our  horses  and  got  breakfast.  I  put  up  our  flag 
the  first  thing  on  getting  up.  While  we  were  eating 
a  little  fellow  came  along  with  a  bundle  of  papers 
under  one  arm,  and  a  single  one  in  his  other  hand, 
and  seeing  our  place  came  up  and  handed  me  a  paper  ! 

"  Got  your  name  in  the  paper  country-kin.  Look 
for  the  blue  mark  and  read,  turkey-stock  '11  be  active 
this  morning.  The  early-bird  catches  the  worm — the 
sooner  you  git  your  gobblers  to  the  .plaza  the  better. 
Good  luck  to  you,  and  when  you  get  to  the  centennial 
just  tell  General  Hawley  to  save  his  private  box  for 
me  and  have  the  military  ready  July  4th.  Give  you  a 
letter  to  the  General  if  I  wasn't  in  a  hurry.  Good-bye." 

I  hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  him,  he  was  so  free 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IN  TEXAS.        Ill 

and  easy,  but  I  asked  him  if  he  wouldn't  have  a  cup 
of  coffee  and  some  breakfast. 

"  Thank  you,  I  will  try  your  coffee.  Don't  upset 
your  coffee  pot.  I  don't  hold  a  quart."  He  drank 
half  a  cup  of  coffee  and  put  down  the  cup  with  a 
smack  of  his  lips.  "  Better  set  up  a  coffee  stall  when, 
you  get  there,  young  one.  There's  no  defalcation 
about  that  coffee,  for  I  know  coffee,  I  do — none  of  your 
boarding  house  stuff  that.  If  the  little  greaser  don't 
know  how  to  make  good  bread  just  let  me  have  him 
a  month  before  you  start  and  I'll  put  him  to  school 
in  that  line  where  his  education  won't  be  neglected. 
It  runs  in  the  breed  to  mix  flcur  stuffs  and  get  its 
best  out  of  an  oven.  But  my  customers  arc  suffering 
for  their  morning's  ration  of  intelligence.  It's  all 
they'll  get  during  the  day,  most  of  them,  and  they'd 
be  in  bankruptcy  before  dinner  without  it.  They  sus- 
pends regularly  every  Monday  morning,  but  come  out 
again  shining  at  breakfast  Tuesday.  Adios,  Senores," 
and  with  a  low  bow  and  a  wide  sweep  of  his  cap  he 
was  off  on  a  trot,  screeching  like  a  cat  fighting  : 

"  Ere'syer  morning  paper!  All  the  latest  news  !  Two 
genuine  Texas  Lions  in  town  !  Turkeys  active  this 
morning.  Tell's  you  where  to  see  the  show,  the  Her- 
ald does,  only  ten  cents." 

I  didn't  understand  more  than  half  he  said  then, 
though  I  did  afterward,  but  I  didn't  forget  a  word  of 
it.  It's  curious  how  people  can  remember  and  keep 
thinking  about  what  they  can't  understand. 

When  he  was  out  of  sight,  I  could   hear  him  long 


112  LIVE    BOYS. 

afterwards.  I  picked  up  the  paper  and  looked  for  the 
blue  mark.  I  found  it  on  the  inside  page,  what  they 
call  the  local  page,  Mr.  Penseler  told  me  afterward, 
and  there  a  big  blue  mark  right  over  an  article  that 
had  in  big  type  this  heading. 

TWO  REGULAR  TEXAS  LIONS 

IN   THE   CITY 

L'AST   NIGHT. 

THEY  ARE   EXPECTED  ON  THE   MAIN   PLAZA 
THIS    MORNING. 

GET  YOUR  AMMUNITION  READY 

AND   BE   ON    HAND   WHEN    YOU   SEE  THE 

RED   FLAG. 

"  Yesterday  evening  while  on  his  rounds  for  news 
for  the  many  thousand  readers  of  the  Herald,  one  of 
its  reporters  was  attracted  by  the  sight  of  a  wagon 
full  of  wild  turkeys  whose  youthful  driver,  of  fourteen 
or  thereabouts,  was  evidently  in  the  city  for  the  first 
time.  Near  him  was  a  second  wagon  full  of  pecans, 
engineered  by  a  little  Mexican  of  about  the  same  age 
as  his  Saxon  comrade,  but  who,  though  evidently  not 
city  raised,  seemed  as  indifferent  as  a  savage  or  a  man 
who  had  just  bought  out  our  good  town  and  was  re- 
solving which  one  of  his  wife's  relations  to  give  it  to. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.         I  13 

Drawing  near  and  entering  into  conversation,  he  found 
the  little  fellows  had  fifty  wild  turkeys  which  they 
had  caught  in  pens,  twelve  dozen  partridges — fairly 
trapped,  nanets,  gentlemen  sportsmen — fifteen  bushels 
of  pecans,  half  a  dozen  deer  and  one  bear-ski  ,  and  a 
lot  of  wax  figures  which  the  little  Mexican  had  made. 
All  of  the  above  were  the  result  of  their  own  labors. 

"  Questioning  them  as  to  their  object  he  soon  found 
that  they  intended  going  to  the  Centennial,  and  were 
trying  to  raise  money  to  buy  horses  so  that  they  could 
hire  to  drive  cattle  to  Kansas.  From  there  they 
would  go  on  to  the  great  Fair,  come  back  to  Kansas 
and  ride  their  horses  home  again.  The  reporter  felt 
so  much  interest  in  the  little  fellows,  so  frank,  honest, 
shrinking  and  yet  straightforward  and  manly  were 
they,  that  he  interested  himself  in  assisting  them  to 
dispose  of  their  hard-won  booty,  for  the  bear  had  been 
killed  by  Charlie  only  after  a  severe  fight.  Taking 
him  over  to  Gamble's  the  box  of  wax  figures  was 
opened  and  found  to  contain  some  of  the  finest  stat- 
uettes ever  exhibited  in  San  Antonio.  The  writer 
claims  to  know  something  of  this  work,  for  he  has 
seen  hundreds  of  exhibitions  of  it  in  its  home  in  the 
Mexican  Capital,  but  more  thoroughly  correct  imita- 
tions of  the  objects  represented  both  as  to  form,  color 
and  every  thing  that  goes  to  the  making  of  tableau 
vivants,  he  has  never  seen.  A  gayly-dressed  cavalier 
lassoing  a  bull,  an  Indian  hunter  returning  with  the 
spoils  of  the  chase  to  his  famished  camp  just  in  time 
to  forestall  the  meal  upon  disgusting  reptiles,  market- 


114  LIVE    BOYS. 

men  and  women,  birds  and  flowers  are  among  the  sub- 
jects so  accurately  represented.  He  was  astonished 
to  find  such  delicacy  of  design  and  skilful  execution 
in  one  so  young,  and  whose  life  one  would  rather 
suppose  from  his  appearance  to  have  been  passed 
among  the  Kickapoos,  though  he  was  neatly  attired 
and  not  without  much  latent  intelligence,  than  amid 
work  like  this,  that  might  well  have  come  from  pupils 
who  had  spent  years  in  Mexico's  superb  art-school  ,- 
but  on  further  inquiry  he  ascertained  that  the  young 
artist  had  had  the  inestimable  advantage  of  the  teach- 
ing and  skilful  assistance  of  one  who  was  last  season 
one  of  the  most  admired  belles  of  our  gay  city,  but 
who  is  now  teaching  the  young  idea,  to  shoot  among 
the  mountains  of  our  northern  frontier.  To  her  other 
favors  she  had  added  that  of  a  letter  introductory  to 
Mr.  Gamble,  our  enterprising  and  public-spirited  sta- 
tioner. He  at  once  became  interested  in  the  little 
fellows,  and  promptly  acceded  to  the  suggestion  of 
our  reporter,  to  have  an  auction  for  the  sale  of  the 
statuettes.  It  will  come  off  this  morning  at  eleven 
o'clock  sharp,  the  popular  J.  Mangum  Rolemoff  having 
volunteered  his  valuable  services  to  assist  in  offering 
them  to  the  public.  Aside  from  their  artistic  merit, 
for  which  we  vouch  our  critical  reputation,  the  occa- 
sion is  certainly  one  which  appeals  most  strongly  to 
those  of  our  free-spirited  fellow-citizens,  and  they  are 
legion,  who  take  pleasure  in  assisting  honest  indus- 
try, all  the  more  when  it  presents  itself  in  the  shape 
of  two  orphan  boys,  for  they  are  such,  who,  at  an  age 


CHARLEY    AND    XASHO    IX    TEXAS.  11$ 

when  most  boys  would  care  for  little  else  than  marble 
and  top,  or  gun  and  horse,  are  doing  men's  work  to 
gain  the  means  to  take  them  to  the  World's  Fair  next 
year.  They  are  not  going  out  of  idle  curiosity,  but 
with  a  desire  more  to  be  expected  in  mature  men 
than  such  striplings,  to  reap  the  advantages  of  such 
an  education  in  the  practical  exhibition  of  the  world's 
deeds  as  no  books  can  give,  and  as  is  not  likely  to  be 
again  offered  to  any  American  boy  now  conning  his 
worritsome  lessons.  We  sincerely  trust  every  article 
will  be  made  to  bring  its  true  price,  many  times  en- 
chanced  by  the  nature  of  the  boy's  ambition  and  the 
beautiful  and  lovely  woman's  generous  heart,  that 
have  so  lavishly  been  expended  on  these  treasures. 
Aside  from  the  pleasure  of  their  possession  as  articles 
of  beauty,  they  can  never  fail  to  remind  their  fortu- 
nate owners  of  the  power  of  determined  will,  however 
immature  and  undisciplined,  and  they  can  and  will 
be  made  such  an  ever-present  and  stimulating  encour- 
agement to  other  boys  more  favorably  situated  as  can 
be  drawn  from  no  books  with  their  tales  of  the  heroic 
past.  These  little  fellows  are  only  working  for  a 
commencement.  When  they  start  on  their  cattle  drive 
to  which  all  this  work  thus  far  has  only  been  prelim- 
inary, their  labor  will  only  have  begun.  Many  a 
weary  mile  must  be  passed  over,  many  a  long  day  of 
broiling  sun  and  stifling  dust,  many  a  painful  night 
when  weariness  has  become  torture  to  exhausted 
frames,  many  a  pitiless  storm  during  which  frightened 
cattle  will  be  rushing  round  them  in  wild  confusion, 


Il6  LIVE    BOYS. 

like  the  bison  herds  of  the  prairie,  must  be  endured 
ere  they  reach  their  distant  goal.  And  into  all  this 
they  venture  alone,  animated  only  by  that  sublime 
thirst  for  knowledge  which  has  written  the  names  of 
many  of  its  possessors  high  in  the  temple  of  fame, 
and  handed  them  down  to  the  ages  as  worthy  of  all 
honor  because  they  sought  that  wisdom  which  Israel's 
sage  King  deemed  more  to  be  desired  than  all  of 
earth's  treasures. 

"These  beautiful  statuettes  will  be  on  exhibition  at 
Gamble's  from  9  a.m.  until  the  hour  of  sale.  Don't 
miss  your  only  chance,  for  the  sake  of  your  own  fu- 
ture gratification,  and  the  honor  of  the  Lone  Star. 

"  We  are  about  to  forget  to  call  the  attention  of  our 
readers,  many  of  whom,  as  is  so  often  the  case  in  art 
centres,  are  as  ready  for  a  feast  gastronomical  as  intel- 
lectual, preparing  for  the  last  by  the  first,  that  they 
will  find  the  choicest  turkeys  of  the  season,  their  wild 
gamy  flavor  added  to  and  improved  by  careful  feeding, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  main  Plaza,  at  a  wagon  flying 
a  red  flag  with  a  bar  of  yellow.  Don't  offer  these 
noble  little  fellows  less  than  a  dollar  each  for  their 
superb  wild  fowls  or  your  dinner's  will  be  sauced  with 
the  Paschal  Lamb  salad  of  bitter  remorse.  But  it's 
no  use  suggesting  this.  Parsimoniousness  is  not  a 
feature  of  our  game  city.  And  if  you  want  the  finest 
nuts  of  the  season,  nuts  that  gathered  sweetness  and 
richness  from  sun  and  air  until  their  stems  would  no 
longer  hold  them — nuts  that  will  never  call  into  requi- 
sition the  iron-hearted  nut-crackers,  or  break  the  lit- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        1 1/ 

tie  folks'  teeth  by  their  obduracy,  just  call  on  Senor 
Don  Mexicain  El  Pequefio,  and  he  will  furnish  you 
with  a  dessert  the  gods  might  envy.  Three  dollars  a 
bushel,  remember ;  no  one  can  afford  to  offer  less.* 

*  I  have  copied  this  exactly  from  the  paper  which   Charlie 
had  preserved,  and  which  he  showed  me  on  his  return.     A.  M. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SELLING  OUT  THEIR  LOAD. SHARP  PRACTICE.  —  THE 

OLD  ALAMO,  AND  THE  GREAT  BATTLE  THERE. 

BY  the  time  I  had  finished  reading  the  paper  break- 
fast was  over,  and  we  hitched  up  and  drove  to 
the  main  Plaza.  We  saw  people  in  every  direction, 
coming  and  going  to  market  with  baskets  on  their 
arms.  Directly  a  man  came  along  with  some  greens 
sticking  out  of  his  basket,  and  hollered  to  us  in  a 
pleasant  voice: — "  Hand  us  out  a  gobbler  Charley; 
one  of  your  best,  and  here's  your  dollar." 

I  told  him  I  didn't  ask  but  six  bits,  but  he  said  : — 

"  All  right,  my  boy — the  other  quarter  will  buy  you 
a  lunch  some  day  at  the  Centennial." 

He  took  his  gobbler  and  left,  but  it  wasn't  but  a  few 
minutes  till  another  one  came,  and  then  another,  and 
then  they  kept  coming  in  a  regular  string,  and  in  an 
hour  we  had  sold  all  but  one,  which  I  kept,  and  all 
the  partridges  but  one  dozen,  which  I  wouldn't  sell, 
though  several  persons  wanted  them.  Almost  every- 
body wanted  gobblers,  but  most  of  them  gave  us  a 
dollar  apiece  for  the  hens  as  well,  though  two  didn't 
give  but  four  bits,  which  I  told  them  was  all  we  asked. 

My  wagon  was  now  empty,  all  but  the  deer  and  bear 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN*  TEXAS.        I  !<, 

skins,  but  Nasho  hadn't  sold  but  one  bushel  of  pecans. 
We  were  talking  whether  we  hadn't  better  go  to  some 
of  the  merchants  and  sell  them  all  together,  or  go 
round  among  the  houses  with  them,  when  we  saw  two 
men  coming  from  different  directions,  and  both  in  a 
hurry.  They  wasn't  Americans,  nor  Mexicans,  nor 
Dutch,  and  they  didn't  speak  very  plain  English. 
The  first  one  that  got  to  us  said,  'most  out  of  breath, 
he  had  walked  so  fast  : — 

"  Mine  goot  boy,  I  takes  all  your  pecans  at  dwc 
dollars  a  bushel.  De  down  ish  full  of  pecans — you 
can't  git  so  much  from  anybody  else." 

Just  then  the  other  one  came  up  and  said  : — 

"  I  gifs  you  dwo  dollars  and  a  quarter  a  bushel, 
Charley." 

"  Dwo  and  a  half." 

"  Dwo  and  six  bits." 

"  Three  dollars  I  gifs.  Stay,  my  friend,"  and  he 
called  the  other  one  to  him,  and  they  talked  a  minute 
and  shook  their  heads  and  came  back  to  together,  and 
the  last  one  said  : — 

"  Dis  man  agree  for  me  to  take  all  your  pecans  at 
dwo  dollars  and  a  half  a  bushel." 

Now  I  had  heard  from  some  men  at  the  wagon  yard 
that  common  pecans  were  bringing  two  dollars  and  a 
half  a  bushel,  and  ours  were  uncommonly  fine  ones, 
and  I  thought  they  were  worth  three  dollars,  and  I 
was  'most  certain  too  that  the  two  men  had  agreed  to 
buy  them  together,  so  as  not  to  give  so  much  for 
them  by  bidding  against  each  other  ;  so  I  said  : — 


120  LIVE    BOYS. 

The  other  man  offered  me  three  dollars. 

"  No  ;  I  don't  gif  no  such  brice.  Dey  is  worth  no 
more  clan  dwo  dollars  and  a  half." 

Very  well,  sir,  I  said,  they  are  worth  three  dollars 
a  bushel. 

"  Nobody  ish  fool  enough  to  give  you  no  such  price," 
said  the  second  man. 

Then  nobody  needn't  buy  them. 

"  Come,  Charley,  I'll  do  petter  by  you  ash  nobody 
else.  I  gifs  you  dwo  dollars  and  sixty  cents,  and 
dakes  dem  all.  You  mosh  stay  here  all  day  before 
you  can  beddle  dem  by  the  bushel,  and  den  you  don't 
git  no  more  ash  I  offer  you." 

Three  dollars  a  bushel. 

They  went  off  together  again  and  talked  a  few 
minutes  and  came  back,  and  the  one  who  had  offered 
two  dollars  and  sixty  cents  said  : — 

"  I  gifs  you  dwo  dollars  and  six  bits,  my  goot  boy  ; 
dat  is  awful  big  brice." 

I  didn't  like  his  trying  to  beat  me  down,  and  just 
turned  to  Nasho  and  asked  him  to  watch  my  team 
while  I  went  across  the  square.  I  hadn't  more  than 
started  before  he  came  to  me  and  said : — 

"  You  makes  one  goot  merchant,  mine  sharp  poy. 
I  gifs  you  dree  dollars.  How  many  has  you  got." 

Fourteen  bushels  ;  but  I'll  keep  one  bushel. 

"  Dat  ish  too  many.  I  don't  want  no  more  ash  den 
bushels." 

Well,  I  will  sell  you  ten  bushels. 

"  Come  on  den." 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        121 

I  took  Nasho's  wagon  and  drove  to  his  stand  at  one 
of  the  street  corners,  and  measured  him  out  ten  bush- 
els. He  gave  me  three  ten  dollar  bills,  and  tried  hard 
to  get  me  to  buy  some  fruit  and  candy  from  him,  but 
I  wouldn't.  I  wanted  some,  but  I  intended  to  bay 
from  an  honest  man.  In  driving  along  down  the  street 
another  fruit  man  at  the  other  corner  stopped  me  and 
asked  what  I  had  to  sell.  He  thought  my  price  was  too 
high,  but  when  I  showed  him  what  fine  ones  they  were 
he  took  the  other  four  bushels,  and  gave  me  two  five- 
dollar  bills,  a  two-dollar  one  and  two  fifty-cent  pieces 
in  silver.  Just  then  I  saw  Mr.  Penseler  going  along 
and  called  him.  When  he  came  up  I  told  him  I  had 
a  turkey  and  a  half  bushel  of  pecans  for  him,  and 
wanted  to  know  where  he  lived,  so  I  could  take  them 
to  his  house.  He  didn't  want  to  take  them,  but  I 
told  him  he  must,  and  he  got  on  the  wagon  and  we 
drove  to  his  house  and  left  them.  Then  I  went  back 
to  where  I  had  left  Nasho,  and  stopped  on  the  way  at 
Mr.  Gamble's  store  and  left  a  dozen  partridges  and  a 
half  bushel  of  pecans  for  him,  and  then  me  and  Nasho 
drove  to  the  wagon  yard  and  put  up  our  teams. 

Just  as  we  got  through,  Mr.  Penseler  came  to  the 
yard  and  asked  me  if  I  wouldn't  like  to  go  to  the 
Alamo.  I  told  him  yes,  because  I  had  often  heard  Uncle 
tell  about  it.  He  had  a  brother  killed  there.  When 
we  got  there  and  while  we  were  walking  about 
in  the  old  fort,  I  tried  to  think  how  every  thing 
must  have  looked  nearly  forty  years  ago,  when 
there  were  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  dead  Texas 


122  LIVE    BOYS. 

soldiers,  and  sixteen  hundred  Mexicans  lying  in 
and  about  the  old  walls,  and  what  a  terrible  sight 
it  must  have  been  when  Santa  Anna,  the  Mexican 
General,  had  all  the  dead  Texans  burned.  They  went 
out  and  brought  in  great  loads  of  dry  wood,  and  spread 
a  lot  on  the  ground,  and  put  a  row  of  bodies  on  it, 
and  then  another  big  lot  of  wood  and  then  more 
bodies,  until  they  had  made  several  big  piles.  Then 
they  set  fire  to  them,  and  put  on  more  wood  as  it 
burnt  out  until  nothing  was  left  of  the  bodies  but 
ashes.  Old  Santa  Anna  was  mad  because  they  had 
fought  him  so  long  and  killed  so  many  of  his  men. 
He  had  four  thousand,  and  they  fought  him  eleven 
days,  and  killed  nearly  ten  Mexicans  apiece,  but  not 
a  single  one  of  them  got  away.  They  even  killed 
Col.  Bowie  in  his  bed,  but  he  fought  them  to  the  last. 
Mr.  Penseler  showed  me  where  it  was.  There  was 
one  woman  and  her  child  in  the  fort,  and  the  Mexicans 
did  't  kill  them.  She  lives  in  Austin  now,  but  her 
child  is  dead.  Uncle  always  says  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  fight  at  the  Alamo,  all  the  Americans  in 
Texas  would  have  been  driven  out  of  the  country. 
Old  Santa  Anna  himself  was  afterward  caught  at 
San  Jacinto  with  his  whole  army — all  that  wasn't 
killed,  but  Gen.  Houston,  instead  of  burning  him  or 
hanging  him,  sent  him  out  of  the  country.  I  tell  you, 
Mr.  Morecamp,  reading  about  things  is  not  like  seeing 
them,  or  the  places  where  they  happened.  I  had  often 
heard  Uncle  tell  about  the  massacre  of  the  Alamo, 
and  didn't  think  a  great  deal  about  it,  but  when  I  was 


CHARLEY   AND    XASIIO    IX    TEXAS.  123 

there  inside  the  walls  where  the  firing  never  stopped 
for  eleven  days,  and  where  that  morning  before  day- 
light one  hundred  and  eighty-two  men  that  had  been 
well  and  strong  an  hour  before,  were  left  on  the 
ground  all  dead,  besides  the  hundreds  and  hundreds 
of  Mexicans,  it  did  seem  like  a  terrible  thing  to  me. 
A  man  can't  do  any  more  than  give  up  his  life  for  any- 
body, and  they  gave  up  theirs  for  their  friends  and 
country.  I  don't  think  we  ought  ever  to  forget  them, 
or  that  they  died  for  us.  I  have  heard  some  people 
say  many  of  them  were  bad  men  who  had  to  leave 
their  own  States  because  of  things  they  had  done 
there,  or  to  keep  from  paying  their  debts.  I  don't 
know  any  thing  about  that,  but  they  was  sent  there  to 
keep  the  Mexicans  back,  and  they  done  it  till  they  died. 
Gen.  Lee  couldn't  have  done  any  more.  Mr.  Penseler 
told  us  there  was  some  talk  of  the  old  Fort  being  sold 
to  some  men  for  a  livery  stable.  It  seems  to  me  it 
would  be  like  selling  a  graveyard.  It  is  all  the  grave 
they  had. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AUCTIONING    THE     WAX    FIGURES. TROUBLE     ABOUT 

COUNTERFEIT  MONEY. HOME  AGAIN. 

WHEN  we  left  the  Alamo  we  went  to  the  book- 
store and  watched  Mr.  Rolemoff  sell  the  wax- 
figures.  There  were  a  great  many  people  there  ;  some 
of  them  ladies.  When  the  clock  struck  eleven  he  got 
upon  the  counter,  and  making  a  very  polite  bow,  sai ' — 
I  won't  pretend  to  give  the  very  words  he  used,  but  it 
was  pretty  near  like  this,  for  it  was  the  first  auction  I 
had  ever  been  at  and  I  listened  close  : — 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  are  aware  of  the  very 
unusual  circumstances  that  bring  me  before  you  this 
morning.  The  beautiful  works  of  art  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  offer  you,  aside  from  the  origin  which  so 
greatly  enhances  their  value,  speak  for  themselves  so 
much  more  eloquently  than  I  could  do  that  I  will  not 
enter  into  particulars,  and  with  such  an  audience  as  I 
have  the  hono-  of  addressing,  it  will  be  unnecessary 
for  me  to  dwell  on  their  merits,  or  use  the  ordinary 
tricks  of  the  trade,  to  draw  out  the  full  value  of  the 
goods  presented.  I  here  offer  you — and  he  held  up  an 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IX  TEXAS.        125 

old  market  man  with  a  basket  full  of  vegetables  and 
fruit  on  his  back,  so  that  they  could  all  see  it — a  figure 
which  is  somewhat  familiar  to  the  most  of  you,  not 
only  in  reality,  but  in  imaged  resemblance.  Whether 
you  have  seen  any  better  work  of  this  description  you 
will  be  the  fitting  judges.  For  myself,  I  have  only  to 
say  that  I  entirely  coincide  with  the  views  expressed 
by  the  Herald  of  this  morning  in  its  local  upon  this 
subject.  What  have  you  to  say  about  this  charming 
little  statuette  ? " 

"  Two  dollars  and  a  half." 

I  looked  to  see  who  it  was  that  bid,  but  before  I 
could  find  him  in  the  crowd,  somebody  else  said : — 

"  Three  dollars.*' 

"And  a  half"  —  "Four"  —  "and  a  quarter  "  — 
"  Half  "—  "  Six  bits." 

They  bid  so  fast  I  couldn't  keep  up  with  them,  but 
the  auctioneer  seemed  to  see  everyone. 

"  Four  dollars  and  six  bits  have  been  offered,  some 
gentleman  I  am  sure  will  make  it  five.  Oh  !  thank 
you,  sir.  Five  dollars,  five  dollars,  five  dollars,  fi-v-e 
dollar-s — if  you  are  through  we  will  not  dwell — once 
more — Five  dollars,  going,  going,  gone.  Mr.  Herkimer 
takes  it.  I  will  here  say,  ladies  and  gentleman,  that 
the  sale  will  not  occupy  more  than  half  an  hour,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time  you  can  obtain  your  pur- 
chases at  the  counter.  Our  gallant  little  frontiersmen 
wish  to  leave  the  city  immediately  after  noon,  and  we 
request  that  the  goods  will  be  settled  for  at  once  on 
that  account. 


126  LIVE    BOYS. 

Then  he  put  up  the  man  roping  the  bull,  and  it 
brought  twelve  dollars  and  a  half.  Altogether  they 
brought  fifty-five  dollars.  In  a  few  minutes  after  the 
sale  was  over,  Mr.  Gamble  handed  me  the  money,  and 
I  thanked  him  for  his  kindness  in  helping  us  so  much. 
I  ivas  going  to  give  the  money  to  Nasho,  but  he  told 
me  to  give  him  five  dollars  and  keep  the  rest.  Mr. 
Penseler  told  us  to  come  back  there  at  half  past  twelve 
and  we  could  take  dinner  together.  Then  we  sepa- 
rated. 

I  wanted  to  buy  a  nice  shawl  for  Auntie,  and  went 
to  a  store  where  I  saw  such  things  hanging  out  and 
asked  to  see  some  shawls  for  ladies.  I  told  him  I 
didn't  wan't  a  very  fine  one,  but  a  good,  warm,  pretty 
one.  He  showed  me  some,  and  I  picked  out  one  and 
asked  him  what  it  was  worth.  He  said  six  dollars, 
and  I  told  him  I  would  take  it,  and  got  out  my  money 
and  handed  him  a  ten-dollar  bill.  He  looked  at  it, 
and  turned  it  over,  and  looked  at  it  again  close,  and 
then  told  me  to  wait  a  minute,  and  went  back  to  the 
other  end  of  the  store.  Directly  he  came  back  again 
with  a  gentleman  who  I  felt  sure  owned  the  store. 
He  came  up  to  me  and  said  : — "  My  little  man,  where 
did  you  get  this  money  ?  " 

I  sold  pecans  for  it,  sir. 

"  Who  bought  them  ? " 

I  told  him  I  didn't  know  his  name,  but  I  knew  where 
he  kept.  He  asked  me  how  I  knew  he  gave  me  that 
particular  bill,  and  I  told  him,  because  I  sold  him  ten 
bushels  at  three  dollars  a  bushel,  and  he  gave  me 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       I2/ 

three  ten-dollar  bills,  which  I  put  away  in  one  pocket. 
He  asked  me  then  if  I  had  any  more  pecans,  and  I 
told  him  I  had  had  four  more  bushels  but  had  sold 
them  to  another  man.  He  asked  me  if  I  knew  what 
kind  of  money  he  had  paid  me  in,  and  I  told  him  he 
gave  me  two  five-dollar  bills,  and  a  two-dollar  one  and 
two  fifty  cents,  and  I  had  put  it  with  the  rest  of  the 
pecan  money.  He  asked  me  if  I  had  got  any  money 
since,  and  I  told  him  we  had  just  sold  some  wax  fig- 
ures and  got  the  money  for  them,  but  that  I  had  put  it 
in  another  pocket  by  itself. 

"  Where  did  you  sell  the  wax  figures  ?  "  he  asked 
me. 

At  Mr.  Gamble's.  Mr.  Rolemoff  auctioned  them 
off. 

"  Ah  !  you  are  the  little  boys  who  came  in  from  the 
mountains  with  pecans  and  turkeys  and  wax  works  ?" 

Yes,  sir. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  haven't  mixed  your  money?  " 

Yes,  sir  ;  when  Mr.  Gamble  gave  me  the  money  it 
was  in  a  roll,  and  I  didn't  unroll  it,  and  when  Nasho 
said  he  only  wanted  five  dollars  I  didn't  take  it  out 
of  that  money,  but  out  of  the  pecan  money,  and  put 
the  other  by  itself. 

"Let  us  go  up  to  Gamble's  and  see  about  this. 
This  is  a  counterfeit  bill.  Do  you  know  a  man  who 
tries  to  pass  a  counterfeit  bill  can  be  put  in  the  pen- 
itentiary ? " 

No,  sir  ;  but  I  didn't  know  it  was  bad  money.  It 
wasn't  my  fault  ;  I  didn't  make-  it,  and  didn't  know 
it  wasn't  good. 


128  LIVE    BOYS. 

"  I  am  satisfied  you  are  not  to  I'ane,  but  I  want  to 
find  out  who  is.  It  is  somebody  who  knew  what  he 
was  doing,  and  was  willing  to  get  you  into  trouble." 

We  went  to  Mr.  Gamble's,  and  the  gentleman  with 
me  walked  up  to  the  counter  and  said  : — 

"  Gamble,  how  much  money  did  you  pay  this  little 
fellow  this  morning  ?  " 

Fifty-five  dollars. 

"  Was  it  put  up  together  any  way  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  in  a  roll." 

"  Would  you  know  the  roll  again  if  you  were  to  see 
it  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  there  were  two  twenty's,  a  ten  and  a  five, 
the  last  on  the  outside,  and  it  had  been  pasted  in  a 
torn  place.  I  happened  to  notice  it  in  putting  it  up." 

"  You  could  swear  to  the  package  if  you  saw  it  ?  " 

"Yes  ;  if  it  has  not  been  disturbed.  Furthermore,  I 
recollect  distinctly  that  the  two  twenty's  were  National 
Bank  Notes  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Springfield, 
Mass.  In  looking  over  the  money  in  the  drawer  last 
night  I  happened  to  notice  them,  and  wondered  through 
how  many  hands  they  had  passed,  in  getting  here,  and 
what  each  man  got  for  them  in  turn,  and  I  forgot  to 
take  the  cash  out  of  the  drawer  last  night,  so  they  were 
there  this  morning,  The  ten  I  don't  know  anything 
about,  but  I  could  swear  to  ti^e  way  they  were  rolled 
up  and  the  patched  five-dollar  bill." 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Gamble,  you  know  I  do  not  doubt 
you  for  an  instant,  but  there  are  a  good  many  patched 
five-dollar  bills." 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        I2Q 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  but  they  are  not  patched  with  buckskin." 

"  No — o.  At  least  I  never  saw  one  that  was.  Let's 
see  your  roll,  Charley  ?  " 

I  pulled  it  out  of  my  pocket.  I  had  wrapped  a 
string  so  it  wouldn't  come  loose  and  maybe  so  get 
torn. 

"  There  was  no  string  on  it  when  I  handed  it  to 
Charley,  but  that  is  the  exact  way  in  which  it  was 
done  up.  Begin  at  the  end  Colonel,  and  in  the  first 
turn  you  will  find  the  buckskin  patch." 

The  Colonel,  as  Mr.  Gamble  called  the  gentleman 
who  was  with  me,  asked  one  of  the  clerks  to  take  the 
roll  from  me  and  undo  it,  and  tell  him  what  were  the 
kinds  and  denominations  of  bills  in  it.  He  unrolled 
it  and  showed  the  buckskin  patch.  Then  he  spread 
the  money  out,  took  up  one  bill  at  a  time  and  said : — 

One  five-dollar  greenback,  one  ten-dollar  Indian- 
apolis First  National  Bank  note,  one  twenty-dollar 
Springfield  First  Nat.  Bank  note,  another  twenty- 
dollar  Springfield  First  Nat.  Bank  note. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Colonel  nodding  his  head. 
"  Now  we'll  go  to  the  man  you  got  the  money  from." 
As  we  started  out  Mr.  Gamble  handed  me  a  nice 
pocket-book,  and  said  : — 

"  Here,  Charley,  is  something  to  keep  your  money 
in." 

I  thanked  him  and  put  it  in  my  pocket.  When  we 
got  there  the  Colonel  asked  me  which  was  the  man, 
and  I  pointed  him  out.  He  commenced  cursing  him 
for  tiying  to  cheat  me,  and  told  him  he  had  a  great 


I3O  LIVE    BOYS 

mind  to  put  him  in  the  penitentiary,  and  would  if  he 
didn't  give  me  a  good  bill  in  place  of  the  counterfeit. 
The  fellow  was  scared  and  took  the  bad  money  back 
and  gave  me  another  bill  which  the  Colonel  looked  at 
and  said  was  good.  He  gave  the  man  the  bad  one 
and  told  him  the  best  thing  he  could  do  was  to  burr. 
it  up,  for  if  it  was  ever  traced  to  him  again  he  woul  I 
go  up  for  the  penitentiary  sure. 

I  than.':cd  th :  ,1.  j^onel  very  much  for  his  trouble  in 
helping  me,  :/:'.  7r\r:.t  back  to  the  store  and  paid  for 
the  shawl,  and  the  clerk  gave  me  a  hood  which  he 
said  the  Colonel  had  bought  as  a  present  to  go  with 
the  shawl.  I  asked  him  if  the  Colonel  didn't  own  the 
store,  and  he  said  no.  he  was  a  lawyer. 

Then  I  went  to  another  store  and  bought  a  nice  pipe 
for  Uncle,  and  one  for  Parson  Theglin,  for  both  of  thiers 
was  old  and  broken,  and  some  tobacco  to  go  with  the 
pipes.  Then  I  bought  a  good,  strong  pocket  knife 
with  three  blades  for  Nasho.  When  I  got  back  to  the 
store  I  found  Nasho  and  Mr.  Penseler  there.  Air. 
Penseler  took  us  to  a  restaurant  and  we  had  a  good 
dinner.  He  wanted  us  to  stay  and  see  more  of  the 
city,  but  we  told  him  we  wanted  to  get  home.  I 
thanked  him  again  for  being  so  kind  to  us,  and  as  we 
were  leaving  he  asked  : — 

"  Have  you  sold  your  skins,  Charley  ?  " 

No,  sir. 

"  They  have  the  heads  and  feet  on,  haven't  they?" 

The  bear  has ;  we  skinned  the  head  and  left  the 
claws  on  the  skin  of  the  feet 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        13! 

"  Well,  don't  sell  that,  but  get  the  skins  of  every 
kind  of  animal  you  can,  taking  care  to  skin  them  as 
nicely  as  you  can,  and  dress  them  well  and  take  them 
to  the  Centennial  with  you.  You  can  put  therji  in 
the  wagon,  and  you  will  get  a  great  deal  more  for 
them  there  than  you  can  here." 

He  told  us  where  to  leave  our  deer  skins  to  be  sold 
by  the  time  somebody  from  Kerrville  should  come 
down,  and  then  we  left  him. 

We  got  our  wagons,  gave  Bose  some  dinner  and 
started  home.  Uncle  was  very  much  pleased  when  I 
told  him  all  about  our  trip,  and  was  very  proud  of  his 
pipe,  and  so  was  Auntie  of  her  shawl  and  hood. 
Nasho  had  bought  a  fine  knife  for  me,  and  some  pen- 
cils and  paints  and  a  pretty  box  for  Miss  Masover. 
It  made  me  feel  very  much  ashamed  to  think  I  had 
forgotten  her  when  she  had  been  so  kind  to  me,  and 
the  first  time  Parson  Theglin  went  to  San  Antonio 
I  got  him  to  buy  a  real  pretty  book  I  had  heard  her 
say  she  would  like  to  have.  Nasho  brought  Auntie  a 
pair  of  fine  chickens,  and  Uncle  a  pair  of  Berkshire 
pigs. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ROPING   THE    BIG   BEAR. NEW     WAY    OF     CATCHING    A 

HORSE-THIEF. CHARLEY    AND  NASHO    ENGAGE    FOR 

THE    CATTLE    DRIVE. 

NEW  YEAR'S  day  of  1876,  me  and  Nashowent  out 
to  hunt  up  a  yoke  of  oxen  for  Uncle.  I  was  rid- 
ing Bullet,  and  he  his  pony.  We  were  going  up  Big 
Gulch,  and  on  turning  one  of  its  elbows  we  saw  a  big 
black  bear  in  front  of  us.  We  knew  it  was  the  big 
bear  that  had  been  seen  several  times,  but  nobody 
could  kill.  He  always  whipped  off  the  dogs  and  got 
away  before  the  men  could  come  up.  Oh,  Nasho ! 
I  said,  let's  go  home  and  get  the  guns  and  come  back 
and  kill  him. 

"  No,  no  good  ;  when  we  come  back  he  gone  and 
no  can  find  him.  Maybe  so  he  get  in  hole  in  rock ; 
no  can  get  him  out." 

He  was  walking  about  quietly  turning  over  big  rocks 
to  get  the  worms  and  frogs  and  things  of  that  kind 
that  live  under  them,  and  did  not  see  us.  We  drew 
back  around  the  elbow  again  so  he  wouldn't  see  us, 
and  I  asked  Nasho  what  we  must  do.  He  didn't  say 
any  thing  but  seemed  to  be  thinking  about  it. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        133 

I'll  stay  here  and  watch  him,  and  you  go  home  and 
get  the  guns  and  dogs  and  come  back  and  we'll  kill 
him. 

"  No  ;  no  good.  Sun  gettin'  hot  ;  he  go  in  hole 
pretty  soon  and  no  can  get  him  out.  Tink  we  rope 
him." 

Our  horses  can't  IK  Id  him,  and  he'll  catch  us. 

"  One  horse  no  can  hold  him  ;  bofe  can.  Tree  yon- 
der; get  him  dere  and  tie  him  fast  and  he  choke  he- 
self." 

I  didn't  like  the  job.  I  was  afraid  he  was  too 
strong  for  our  horses,  and  would  jerk  them  down 
and  hurt  them,  and  maybe  so  catch  us.  It  was  a  bad 
place  to  rope  in  too,  for  the  Gulch  wasn't  more  than 
fifty  yards  wide  there,  and  there  were  a  good  many 
big  rocks  in  it,  and  the  sides  were  steep  and  rocky. 
But  I  was  willing  to  try.  We  girted  our  saddles 
tight,  and  fixed  our  ropes. 

"  Carley,  we  bofe  run  at  him  togedder,  you  on  one 
side,  me  on  oder,  an  bofe  rope  him  same  time.  Keep 
you  rein  tight  and  look  he  no  catch  you." 

He  didn't  see  us  until  we  got  in  fifty  yards,  and  then 
only  raised  his  head  and  looked  at  us.  We  kept  rid- 
ing on,  but  instead  of  running,  he  started  towards  us. 
Nasho  stopped.  I  thought  he  was  afraid.  I  was  too, 
but  I  wouldn't  stop.  I  spurred  my  horse  into  a  quick 
gallop,  and  as  I  turned  to  pass  by  him  threw  my  rope, 
but  my  horse  was  afraid  of  him  and  shied  so  I  missed 
him.  The  bear  whirled  and  ran  after  me.  Nasho 
wasn't  afraid,  but  had  been  waiting  for  this  and 


134  LIVE  1:0  vs. 

ran  up  behind  and  threw  his  rope  over  the  bear's 
head.  He  checked  his  rein  and  his  horse  set  himself 
to  meet  it.  The  bear  was  so  heavy  he  jerked  him  to 
his  knees,  but  the  check  pulled  the  bear  over  head 
over  heels.  He  got  up  and  ran  for  Xasho.  Xasho 
whirled  his  horse  and  ran.  I  came  up  behind  and 
roped  him  and  jerked  him  back,  but  he  was  going  so 
fast  he  pulled  Bullet  down  on  his  nose.  He  was  scared 
though,  and  was  up  in  a  second.  Just  as  the  bear  got 
up  and  started  to  me,  Nasho  had  whirled  and  pulled 
him  back.  We  had  him  now  between  us.  He  pulled 
and  reared  on  his  hind  legs  and  caught  the  ropes  be- 
tween his  paws  and  bit  at  them  and  growled  terribly. 
We  kept  pulling  apart,  and  now  and  then  as  either  of 
us  got  a  chance  jerking  down.  This  would  make  him 
terribly  ma;l.  Directly  he  stood  on  his  hind  feet,  and 
catching  my  rope  in  both  his  paws  commenced  walk- 
ing towards  me.  Nasho  made  his  horse  pull  as  hard  as 
he  could,  but  he  couldn't  hold  him  back.  I  spurred 
my  horse  to  make  him  jerk  loose,  but  the  bear  held 
too  tight.  He  came  along  the  rope  like  a  man  pulling 
overhand. 

"  Carley,  Carley,  ride  little  closer,  me  jerk  him 
down." 

I  saw  Nasho  riding  towards  him,  so  as  to  get  a  start, 
and  then  he  turned  and  ran  his  horse  against  the  rope. 
I  spurred  my  horse  up  a  little  so  as  to  slack  my  rope, 
and  he  jerked  the  bear  down,  but  he  didn't  turn  loose 
and  was  up  again  in  a  second  and  coming  to  me  the 
same  way.  Nasho  jumped  off  his  horse,  picked  up  as 


CHARLEY  AXD  XASHO  IX  TEXAS.        135 

big  a  rock  as  he  could  manage,  got  on  him  again,  and 
running  up  to  the  bear  threw  it  on  his  head.  He  just 
shook  it  a  little  but  didn't  stop.  He  was  getting 
pretty  close  to  me,  and  my  horse  was  terribly  afraid. 
He  pulled  back  till  he  set  down  on  his  haunches  and 
snorted,  but  he  couldn't  budge  the  bear.  Nasho  ran 
his  horse  almost  at  full  speed  by  the  bear  and  past 
me,  and  jerked  the  bear  a  summerset.  He  tumbled 
almost  under  my  horse's  nose.  I  whirled  Bullet,  and 
ran  and  jerked  the  rope  out  of  his  paws,  but  he  was  up 
again  in  a  second  and  coming  after  me.  We  ran 
towards  the  tree,  but  he  was  so  close  to  us  we  couldn't 
ride  around  it  and  get  a  hitch  as  we  wanted  to.  Nasho 
turned  his  horse  to  one  side  and  with  a  quick  jerk 
pulled  the  bear  clown.  By  the  time  he  was  up  I  had 
my  rope  tight  on  the  other  side.  He  grabbed  Nasho's 
rope  and  began  pulling  up  to  him  as  he  had  to  me. 
There  was  a  big  rock  between  me  and  the  bear.  I 
rode  up  to  it,  jumped  down  and  wrapped  my  rope 
around  it  so  it  would  hold.  He  didn't  go  but  two  or  three 
steps  before  it  stopped  him.  He  pulled  his  best  and 
snarled  and  bit  at  the  rope,  but  he  couldn't  pull  the 
rock.  Then  he  whirled  and  ran  towards  me.  I  got  out 
of  the  way.  I  expected  he  would  break  the  rope,  but 
it  held  and  jerked  him  over.  He  ran  back  to  the  rock, 
and  catching  it  with  his  paws  turned  it  over  tearing  it 
out  of  the  ground,  but  the  rope  didn't  come  loose. 
We  both  turned  towards  the  tree  and  he  followed  us, 
foaming  and  panting  like  a  dog,  for  it  was  all  he  could 
do  to  drag  the  rock.  When  we  trot  to  the  tree  Nasho 


136  LIVE    BOYS. 

rode  around  it  quick  and  then  kept  on,  and  when  the 
bear  got  to  it,  stopped  his  horse  and  made  him  pull 
hard.  This  caught  the  bear  close  up  to  the  tree. 
He  pulled  his  best,  but  the  turn  round  the  tree  made 
it  a  heap  easier  for  the  horse  to  hold,  and  he  held  him. 
This  made  the  bear  furious,  and  he  jerked  and  reared 
on  his  hind  feet  and  bit  at  the  rope  and  snarled  more 
than  ever,  but  Nasho  watched  his  chance,  and  when 
ever  he  coulJ,  tightened  his  rope  a  little  more,  until 
he  got  the  bear's  head  close  up  against  the  tree. 

"  Carley,  hold  my  rope  tight  ;  no  let  him  loose 
any." 

I  rode  up  and  caught  his  rope,  wrapped  it  quick 
around  the  horn  of  my  saddle,  and  pulled  my  horse 
back.  The  bear  got  his  head  away  from  the  tree  a 
little,  but  I  watched  my  chance  and  jerked  him  back 
again.  Nasho  jumped  off  his  horse  and  ran  to  the 
bear,  keeping  behind  him  so  as  to  keep  out  of  his  sigi  t. 
He  pulled  out  his  butcher-knife,  and  when  he  got  close 
enough  grabbed  the  bear  by  the  hair  with  his  left 
hand  and  with  the  right  stabbed  him  as  hard  as  he 
could.  The  bear  could  only  get  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders round,  but  Nasho  had  to  jump  back  to  keep  him 
from  catching  him  with  his  paws.  He  pulled  terribly, 
but  Bullet  held  him.  I  began  to  ride  around  the  tree, 
keeping  my  rope  tight  and  in  this  way  wrapped  his 
body  close  to  the  tree,  so  he  couldn't  turn.  Nasho 
ran  up  on  the  other  side,  and  reaching  round  the  tree 
sawed  away  on  him  until  he  cut  his  throat.  The 
bloocl  spurted  out  in  a  stream.  I  kept  him  tight 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        137 

against  the  tree  until  his  head  fell  and  his  paws  drop- 
ped, and  I  knew  then  he  was  safe,  and  unwrapped  my 
rope  and  threw  it  down,  and  the  bear  slowly  sunk  to  the 
ground.  We  set  to  work  and  skinned  him,  being  very 
careful  to  skin  his  paws  so  as  to  leave  the  claws  on, 
and  not  cutting  the  head  off  at  all.  While  we  were 
skinning  him  the  oxen  came  in  sight.  As  soon  as  we 
were  done,  Nasho  drove  the  oxen  home,  and  I  staid 
to  watch  the  meat  until  he  and  Uncle  came  back  with 
the  wagon  to  take  it  home.  Everybody  said  Nasho 
was  a  very  brave  boy,  to  run  up  and  stab  the  bear  as 
he  did  ;  for  if  had  got  loose  it  would  have  caught  him, 
and  it  would  have  been  all  up  with  him  then. 

We  were  very  careful  in  dressing  the  bear  skin  be- 
cause it  was  a  very  large  one,  and  had  fine  black  fur, 
and  the  hide  wasn't  full  of  holes  or  cuts. 
"  How  do  you  dress  skins,  Charley  ?  " 
First  stretch  the  skin  tight  on  the  ground  by  run- 
ning a  rail  or  pole  under  the  middle,  and  cutting  little 
slits  in  the  edges  and  putting  pegs  through  them 
which  you  drive  tight  into  the  ground,  pulling  them 
outward  so  as  to  stretch  the  skin  as  tight  as  you  can, 
or  you  can  hang  it  over  the  fence  and  fasten  a  rail  or 
heavy  stick  to  each  side,  though  this  don't  stretch  it 
even,  or  nail  it  against  a  door ;  but  the  first  way  is  the 
best.  You  leave  the  flesh  side  up,  and  scrape,  and 
rub,  and  pick  at  it  until  you  get  all  the  flesh  and  fat 
off.  Then  you  take  the  brains  and  spread  over  it 
and  rub  them  into  it.  This  makes  it  soft.  You  keep 
it  in  a  shady  place  where  it  won't  harden,  and  every 


138  LIVE    BOYS. 

day  rub  and  work  it  with  a  sharp  bone  edge,  or  an 
old  dull  drawing-knife,  until  you  have  worked  nearly 
half  of  the  thickness  off.  It  will  help  a  great  deal  to 
put  some  of  the  brains  in  water  and  let  them  steep, 
and  every  day  take  the  hide  up  and  moisten  it  in 
brain  water,  and  then  rub  and  work  it  dry.  Tae  best 
way  to  rub  it  is  to  put  it  over  a  smooth  cottonwood 
log  with  two  legs  in  one  end,  so  as  to  raise  it  about  a 
foot  and  a  half  from  the  ground.  This  keeps  it  smooth 
and  makes  it  easier  to  work,  and  you  ain't  so  apt  to 
cut  it.  You  can  put  a  little  alum  and  saltpetre  on  it 
and  work  it  in  to  keep  the  bugs  off.  If  you  don't 
mind  it  being  yellow  after  you  have  got  it  perfectly 
soft  and  pliant,  you  can  smoke  it  over  a  very  slow  fire. 
This  makes  it  more  water-proof  and  keeps  it  from 
getting  hard  if  it  should  get  wet.  It  is  a  heap  easier 
to  dress  skins  without  the  hair,  because  you  can  work 
from  both  sides.  Little  skins,  like  coon,  and  squirrel, 
and  pole-cat,  don't  need  near  so  much  work.  A  bear- 
skin is  one  of  the  hardest  of  all,  because  it  is  so  thick 
and  heavy,  and  you  have  to  be  careful  not  to  hurt  the 
fur.  We  left  the  head  on  that  one,  but  took  out  the 
tongue  and  all  the  meat  to  keep  it  from  spoiling.  We 
dressed  some  very  nice  skins  of  coons,  and  squirrels, 
and  pole-cats,  and  one  more  deer-skin  which  I  killed 
one  night  in  the  bottom  when  we  were  coon-hunting. 
We  had  money  enough  now  to  buy  the  horses  we  want- 
ed, and  Auntie  had  our  clothes  made.  She  made 
each  of  us  a  nice  suit  of  buckskin,  with  fringe  down 
the  legs,  and  the  jackets  embroidered.  Nasho's  pants 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        139 

had  big  buttons  all  down  the  legs,  and  was  open  at 
the  bottom,  and  he  had  a  red  silk  sash  he  had 
bought  at  San  Antonio  to  go  round  his  waist.  Ec.ch 
of  us  had  a  coon-skin  cap,  with  the  tail  on  to  hang 
down  behind. 

One  night  when  we  came  home  from  school  we 
found  Col.  Hunt  was  at  Uncle's  and  going  to  stay  all 
night.  He  was  driving  a  span  of  fine  gray  horses.  He 
is  one  of  the  biggest  stock-owner's  in  Texas.  We  took 
the  horses  out  and  watered  and  fed  them.  After  supper 
Uncle  introduced  us  to  Col.  Hunt,  and  said  he  was 
buying  cattle  to  drive  to  Kansas.  I  asked  Col.  Hunt 
if  he  wouldn't  hire  us  ;  both  of  us  wanted  to  go  to 
Kansas.  He  said  we  was  too  young  ;  it  was  too  hard 
a  trip,  and  he  never  liked  to  see  boys  go  there.  They 
always  saw  so  much  that  was  bad,  and  wanted  to  act 
like  men,  and  spent  all  they  made  and  came  back 
worse  than  they  went.  We  told  him  then  what  we 
wanted  to  go  for.  He  said  that  was  a  different  case, 
and  that  he  would  like  to  help  us,  and  he  would  see 
about  it.  He  asked  if  we  knew  how  to  drive  cattle, 
and  I  told  him  we  had  driven  a  good  deal  for  boys. 

"  Tell  the  Col.  about  catching  your  horse,  Charley," 
Uncle  said,  and  I  told  him  all  about  it.  He  said  he 
thought  boys  that  could  do  that  would  do  to  drive 
cattle.  He  asked  me  if  we  had  horses,  and  I  told 
him  we  had  one  apiece  and  money  to  buy  two  more 
apiece.  He  said  that  would  be  enough.  Then  he 
told  us  it  would  be  a  long,  hard  trip,  that  it  would  take 
two  months  to  go  through,  and  he  was  going  to  start 


I4O  LIVE    BOYS. 

by  the  tenth  of  February,  and  the  nights  would  be 
cold,  and  we  might  look  for  a  good  deal  of  wet 
weather,  and  asked  as  if  we  thought  we  could  stand 
being  on  guard  two  or  three  hours  every  night,  and 
maybe  all  night  when  it  rained  and  stormed.  I  told  him 
I  knew  it  would  be  very  hard,  but  I  thought  we  could 
stand  it,  and  would  do  our  best  to  make  good  hands. 

Next  morning  when  we  went  to  the  lot  to  feed  we 
found  the  old  muley  steer  had  jumped  over  the  fence 
at  a  low  ^lace  and  broken  it  down,  and  Col.  Hunt's 
horses  were  gone.  We  told  Uncle  and  asked  him  to 
1st  us  go  after  them.  He  said  we  might,  and  Auntie 
hurried  up  and  gave  us  some  breakfast  while  our 
horses  were  eating.  Col.  Hunt  said  his  horses  were 
raised  on  the  Nueces,  and  would  be  most  likely  to  go 
that  way.  He  would  have  gone  wich  us,  but  there 
wasn't  any  horse  up  but  ours,  and  Uncle  told  him  we 
would  be  pretty  sure  to  find  them.  By  good  luck  one 
of  them  had  a  short  rope  about  fifteen  feet  long  on, 
with  a  hard  knot  in  the  end.  They  were  both  shod 
all  round  and  their  tracks  were  the  same  size.  They 
had  started  off  right  down  the  road,  but  after  a  while 
had  stopped  to  feed  a  little  as  they  went.  We  knew 
that  they  would  be  apt  to  travel  pretty  steady  because 
they  were  going  home,  and  followed  the  trail  as  fast 
as  we  could.  It  was  no  trouble  in  the  road,  because 
where  it  was  too  hard  for  their  feet  to  show  much,  the 
rope  end  made  a  plain  trail.  When  we  had  gone 
about  ten  miles  they  left  the  road,  and  the  trail  was 
hard  to  follow.  Sometimes  we  would  lose  it  altogether, 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        14! 

but  we  would  ride  on  in  the  direction  it  was  going 
and  strike  it  again  where  there  wasn't  so  much  grass 
and  the  ground  was  softer.  We  found  there  was 
another  track  on  top  of  theirs,  and  we  knew  from  its 
looks  it  was  made  by  a  horse  with  a  man  on  him.  We 
was  afraid  then  that  somebody  was  trying  to  steal  the 
horses  and  hurried  on.  About  twelve  o'clock  we 
found  the  tracks  went  into  a  pen.  When  they  came 
out  again  we  knew  from  their  looks  that  the  man  had 
caught  them  and  was  leading  them.  The  track  led 
through  the  woods  a  while  and  then  it  took  an  old  dim 
road  and  kept  straight  ahead.  It  was  about  two 
o'clock  before  we  came  in  sight  of  them.  It  was  a 
negro  was  leading  them.  I  told  Nasho  if  he  wouldn't 
give  them  up  when  we  told  him  we  were  after  them 
and  wanted  them,  and  started  to  run,  he  must  rope  him 
and  jerk  him  off  his  horse,  and  I  would  catch  the 
horses  and  run  with  them.  The  negro  was  riding  a 
pretty  good  horse,  but  I  knew  he  couldn't  catch  me  on 
Milco ;  there  wasn't  a  horse  in  Kerr  County  could  do 
that.  Nasho  said  all  right,  he  would  rope  him,  and 
fixed  his  rope,  but  let  it  hang  by  the  saddle  so  it 
wouldn't  be  noticed.  We  rode  up  to  him  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  going  to  do  with  those  horses.  He 
said  it  was  none  of  our  business.  I  told  him  the 
horses  belonged  to  Col.  Hunt,  and  had  got  out  of  the 
pen  last  night  and  we  were  after  them.  He  said  Col. 
Hunt  never  had  seen  them  horses,  that  he  had  bought 
them  in  Northern  Texas  and  was  taking  them  to  his 
home  on  Old  Caney.  I  told  him  I  knew  the  horses, 


142  LIVE    BOYS. 

and  that  they  were  Col.  Hunt's,  and  I  wanted  them. 
He  said  with  an  oath  he  would  like  to  see  me  get 
them.  I  rode  up  and  reached  cut  my  hand  as  if  I 
was  going  to  take  the  rope  he  was  leading  them  by, 
when  he  pulled  out  a  pistol  and  said  : 

"  Look  here,  white-boy,  you  get  killed  fust  thing  you 
know,  where  nobody'll  ever  find  you.  If  you  know 
what's  good  for  you,  you  leave  here  mighty  quick."  He 
began  to  cock  his  pistol,  but  just  then  Nasho's  rope 
fell  over  him,  and  before  he  could  do  any  thing  he  was 
jerked  out  of  his  saddle.  His  pistol  went  off  and  the 
fall  made  him  drop  it.  I  hollered  to  Nasho  not  to  let 
him  get  up,  and  he  kept  pulling  him  along  on  the 
ground,  and  I  jumped  down  and  grabbed  his  pistol. 
Then  I  took  after  the  horses  which  had  been  scared  by 
the  noise  of  the  pistol,  and  ran  ahead.  I  caught  up 
with  them  directly,  and  reaching  over  from  my  saddle 
got  hold  of  the  rope  they  were  tied  with.  They  were 
tied  together  so  I  could  manage  them  easily.  I  turned 
back  and  rode  up  to  Nasho.  He  still  had  the  negro 
down,  and  wouldn't  let  him  get  him  up,  for  every  time 
he  tried  he  would  jerk  him  down  again.  He  got  a 
terrible  hard  fall -when  Nasho  jerked  him  out  of  the 
saddle,  and  it  seemed  to  have  stunned  him  a  good 
deal.  I  told  Nasho  to  let  him  get  up,  and  handed  him 
the  pistol,  as  I  had  my  hands  full  with  the  horses, 
but  not  to  shoot  him.  Then  I  told  the  negro  to  take 
the  rope  off,  and  he  did  it.  We  started  off  and  left 
him  sitting  in  the  road.  His  horse  had  run  way 
ahead  and  was  still  going  nearly  out  of  sight.  We 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        143 

hadn't  got  fifty  yards  before  we  heard  a  pistoi  go  off, 
and  the  bullet  come  whizzing  by  our  heads.  We 
both  ran.  He  fired  five  times  more,  but  we  were  out 
of  reach  directly,  and  no:e  of  the  bullets  hit  us. 
After  the  fifth  shot  we  both  reined  up,  and  Nasho 
said  : — 

"  Me  go  back  and  kill  him  now,  he  no  got  any  more 
shoot." 

I  told  him  he  mustn't,  we  had  the  horses  and  that 
was  all  we  wanted. 

"  He  try  kill  us  :  it  right  now  for  we  to  kill  him." 

I  told  him  he  musn't ;  if  he  did  Uncle  wouldn't  let 
him  stay  with  him  any  more,  and  he  would  be  hung 
for  it  too.  He  said  ; — "  Injin  no  do  dat  way  :  man  try 
to  kill  Injin,  Injin  kill  him  when  he  get  chance."  I 
told  Nasho  to  keep  on,  and  rode  back  and  told  the 
negro  I  would  leave  his  pistol  at  Mr.  Ochse's  store  at 
Kerrville,  and  he  could  get  it  by  going  there.  He 
only  cursed  me,  and  I  rode  back  to  Nasho.  It  was  in 
the  night  before  we  got  back  to  Uncle's.  Col.  Hunt 
was  very  glad  to  get  his  horses  again.  He  had  been 
uneasy  about  them  all  day  for  fear  somebody  had 
stolen  them  and  we  wouldn't  be  able  to  get  them.  He 
wanted  to  give  us  fifty  dollars  for  catching  them,  but  we 
wouldn't  take  it,  because  he  was  staying  with  Uncle 
and  the  horses  had  got  out  of  his  pen.  He  said  we  were 
the  bravest  boys  he  had  ever  seen,  that  very  few  men 
would  have  tried  to  take  them  away  from  an  armed 
negro  if  they  had  no  arms,  and  it  was  a  very  fortunate 
thing  that  one  of  us  didn't  get  shot.  He  said  if  he 


144  LIVE    BOYS. 

had  been  along  without  any  pistol  he  would  have  just 
followed  the  negro  until  he  met  somebody,  or  came  to 
a  house  where  he  could  get  a  gun,  and  then  taken 
them  away. 

But  Mr.  Hunt,  when  he  saw  you  was  following  him 
he  could  have  left  the  road  and  not  gone  by  any  house 
or  settlement. 

"  Well  then,  I  would  have  left  the  trail  and  gone 
for  a  weapon  or  assistance  and  come  back  and  fol- 
lowed him  up." 

Yes,  sir  ;  but  he  might  have  suspected  what  you  had 
gone  for,  and  left  his  horse  and  saddled  one  of  yours 
and  led  the  other,  and  by  going  into  the  mountains  on 
a  rocky  ridge  it  would  have  been  very  hard  to  have 
followed  the  trail,  and  he  might  have  gotten  away 
altogether. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  in  that,  Charley.  If  it  was 
to  do  over  again  and  I  knew  the  risk  I  would  not  let 
you  go ;  but  as  it  is  I  am  thankful  to  you  and  your 
brave  comrade  for  getting  my  horses  back.  They  are 
great  pets  of  mine,  and  never  tried  to  leave  me  before, 
the  rascals.  You  ought  to  let  me  pay  you  for  your 
trouble  and  labor. 

Oh,  no  sir,  we  don't  want  any  thing,  we  are  glad  to 
have  gotten  them  for  you. 

"  Well,  my  boys,  you  may  count  on  driving  to  Kan- 
sas for  me  if  you  want  to.  I  don't  want  you  to  go 
now  because  it  is  too  early  and  cold,  and  the  trip  will 
be  a  great  deal  harder  for  you.  I  will  have  other 
herds  going  later  when  the  weather  will  be  more  pleas- 


•HARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  145 

ant,  the  grass  will  have  come  out,  and  the  country 
you  travel  over  will  be  much  prettier.  You  come 
down  to  my  Casa  de  Bueyes  ranch  by  the  middle  of 
March  at  the  farthest.  I  will  pay  you  full  men's  wages 
from  the  time  you  leave  home  until  you  leave  me  in 
Kansas,  and  the  regular  half-rate  wages  to  come  back 
on,  and  send  you  with  one  oi  my  best  bosses,  who 
will  treat  you  well.  If  you  can  buy  horses  cheap 
here,  buy  them,  and  if  you  can't  I  will  sell  you  good 
ponies  at  a  reasonable  price.  If  you  buy  your  own 
horses  get  them  in  good  fix  before  you  start,  for  its 
hard  work  on  them.  And  you  must  remember  you 
will  have  a  hard  trip.  We  never  take  any  extra 
hands,  and  every  man  has  to  do  a  full  hand's  work." 

I  told  him  we  were  very  much  obliged  to  him,  and 
felt  sure  the  boss  couldn't  have  any  reason  to  com- 
plain of  us. 

The  next  morning  early  Col.  Hunt  left,  but  before 
going  he  told  us  if  we  were  at  Casa  de  Bucyes*  by  the 
fifteenth  of  March  we  would  see  him  there,  and  if  we 
got  there  later  he  would  leave  instructions  with  his 
manager  about  us.  He  thanked  us  again  for  getting 
his  horses  back  for  him  and  then  drove  off. 

*  Home  of  the  Beeves. 
10 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ANOTHER  TRIP  TO  SAN  ANTONIO. BUYING  HORSES    ON 

CREDIT.  CHARLEY      LEARNS      SOMETHING       ABOUT 

BUSINESS. 

I  RECKON  you  think,  Mr.  Morecamp,  we  are  never 
going  to  get  off,  but  we  are  most  ready  to  start 
now.  It  seems  to  me  it  very  often  takes  longer  to 
get  ready  to  do  any  thing  than  to  do  it.  When  Mr. 
Braston  was  going  to  build  his  gin  and  press,  he  was 
in  the  bottom  every  day  for  weeks  walking  all  through 
it  backward  and  forward  picking  out  the  best  trees  for 
his  timbers.  Then  it  took  a  long  time  to  cut  them 
down,  haul  them  up  with  the  big  log  wagon,  and  hew 
them  down  right.  But  when  he  had  got  his  timbers 
and  boards  and  irons  all  on  the  ground,  and  the  holes 
dug,  it  didn't  take  but  a  few  days  to  put  them  up. 
You  see  it  took  us  a  long  time  to  get  ready,  because 
we  had  to  make  all  the  money  to  buy  our  horses. 
And  you  told  me  to  tell  you  every  thing  that  had  been 
interesting  to  me,  and  some  of  the  things  I  have  told 
you  about,  gathering  the  pecans,  and  Uncle's  killing 
the  panther,  and  catching  Wild  Bill,  and  getting  back 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEX  A3.        1 4/ 

Col.  Hunt's  horses  were  as  interesting  to  me  as  many 
things  that  happened  on  our  trip. 

After  Col.  Hunt  left,  Uncle  wanted  us  to  keep  on 
going  to  school  until  we  were  ready  to  start ;  but  we 
told  him  as  we  were  going  away  to  be  gone  so  long, 
he  ought  to  let  us  help  him  all  we  could  in  getting  in 
the  crop  before  we  went,  and  at  last  he  said  we  might. 
When  we  took  our  books  to  carry  home,  Miss  Masover 
told  me  I  must  read  at  night,  and  rainy  days  and  odd 
times  when  I  could,  and  learn  as  much  as  I  could  be- 
fore going,  and  said  she  would  keep  me  in  books.  I 
toid  her  I  would.  I  do  like  to  read  books  that  tell  me 
things  I  want  to  know.  Before  I  thought  about  going 
to  the  Centennial  I  didn't  care  so  much,  because  it 
seemed  to  me  a  long  time  before  I  would  be  a  man 
and  have  to  use  what  I  was  learning  ;  but  that  talk 
with  Parson  Theglin  showed  me  that  I  was  getting  to 
be  a  man  all  the  time,  and  I  saw  that  the  more  I 
learned  before  going  the  better  I  would  understand 
what  I  saw,  and  the  more  I  could  learn  there.  I 
wanted  to  know  as  much  as  I  could  about  the  coun- 
tries and  the  people  that  would  have  something  to 
show  there,  and  I  had  to  study  geography  and  history 
to  learn  those  things.  I  wanted  to  write  letters  to 
Uncle  and  Auntie  while  I  was  gone,  and  I  tried  to  do 
my  best  to  write  plain  so  they  could  read  them  with- 
out any  trouble,  and  I  wanted  to  spell  my  words  right, 
and  had  to  study  spelling  a  great  deal  to  learn  them. 
I  know  people  used  arithmetic  in  almost  every  kind 
of  business,  and  though  I  didn't  expect  to  ever  be  a 


148  LIVE    BOYS. 

merchant,  I  wanted  to  be  a  good  business  man  as  far 
as  any  business  of  mine  might  go,  so  I  studied  arith- 
metic a  great  deal.  If  Uncle  wanted  to  lay  off  so 
many  acres,  or  a  half  or  quarter  acre,  I  could  do  it  for 
him.  I  could  tell  how  much  corn  or  wheat  the  wagon 
bed  or  the  crib  would  hold,  how  big  round  and  deep 
he  must  dig  the  new  cistern  to  hold  a  hundred  barrels 
of  water,  how  much  seed  it  would  take  to  sow  three 
acres  in  wheat,  how  much  his  corn  and  cotton  seed 
ought  to  bring  him,  and  how  much  he  would  need  to 
buy  his  groceries,  and  cloth  and  other  things.  I  found 
by  reading  at  nights  and  when  the  weather  was  too 
wet  to  work,  and  sometimes  when  we  would  come  up 
too  early  for  dinner,  though  it  wasn't  but  a  little  bit  at 
a  time,  I  could  learn  a  great  deal  in  time,  and  I  knew 
I  wouldn't  have  any  chance  after  we  started. 

There  was  a  good  deal  to  do  about  the  place.  The 
fence  needed  a  little  mending,  and  the  field  had  to  be 
cleared  of  corn  and  cotton  stalks,  and  there  was  three 
acres  that  had  been  belted,  and  the  logs  had  to  be 
rolled  together  and  burnt.  Me  and  Nasho  did  a  heap 
of  that  work.  We  couldn't  lift  much,  but  a  book  that 
Miss  Masover  had  given  me  showed  me  how  to  rig 
pulleys  and  levers  of  all  sorts  so  that  we  could  make 
the  oxen  do  the  lifting  and  pulling.  Uncle  said  we 
could  do  as  much  work  as  'most  any  two  men.  Then 
the  ground  had  to  be  plowed,  and  harrowed.  And  all 
the  time  the  cattle  had  to  be  looked  after  more  or 
less,  and  the  hogs  killed  and  the  meat  salted  clown. 

Soon   after  Col.  Hunt  left,  we   went  down  to  San 


7 

CHARLEV    AND    NASIIO    IN    TEXAS.  149 

Antonio  again  with  Uncle  to  get  some  things  he 
wanted,  and  we  found  a  drove  of  ponies  there  for  sale. 
Bullet  was  a  work  horse,  and  I  didn't  want  to  take  him 
away,  because  I  knew  Uncle  would  need  him,  so  I 
bought  two,  a  brown  and  a  bay.  Nasho  bought  a  gray 
and  a  sorrel.  They  were  all  good,  stout,  chunky 
ponies,  and  in  pretty  good  fix.  Mr.  Morecamp,  when- 
ever you  see  a  horse  so  short  between  his  last  rib  and 
his  hip  joint  that  you  can't  more  than  lay  your  hand 
broadways  in  the  hollow  there,  you  may  know  he  can 
stand  a  heap  of  hard  work.  He  is  not  apt  to  be  a 
good  riding  horse,  or  to  run  very  fast,  but  he'll  have 
bottom  sure.  I  called  my  brown  horse  Bob  and  my 
bay  Monkey,  because  he  was  such  a  queer  looking 
little  fellow,  and  so  fond  of  playing  with  the  other 
horses.  Nasho  don't  name  any  of  his  horses. 

We  didn't  have  money  to  pay  for  our  stock,  because 
we  wasn't  expecting  to  buy  when  we  left  home,  and 
hadn't  brought  it  with  us.  Uncle  said  he  would  try 
and  arrange  to  get  it  for  us,  and  went  off  to  see  about 
it.  While  he  was  gone  the  gentleman  who  had  helped 
me  about  the  counterfeit  money  came  to  the  pen.  I 
went  up  and  spoke  to  him  and  he  seemed  glad  to  see 
me.  He  said  he  had  come  down  to  buy  a  pony  for 
his  little  boy,  and  asked  me  to  pick  him  out  one  that 
I  thought  was  gentle  and  a  good  riding  pony.  I 
looked  among  the  horses  very  carefully,  for  I  wanted 
one  that  would  suit  him  when  we  was  gone,  and  at 
last  I  found  a  very  pretty  little  chestnut  sorrel  that  I 
was  certain  from  the  looks  of  his  head  and  eyes  was 


150  LIVE    BOYS. 

gentle,  and  T  knew  from  his  make  ought  to  be  a  good 
riding  pony.  His  mouth  and  head  showed  he  was 
young  too,  so  I  told  the  man  who  had  the  horses  I 
wanted  to  ride  him  to  try  him.  I  got  him  in  a  corner 
and  caught  him  without  roping,  and  got  on  him  bare- 
back and  rode  him  up  to  the  gentleman.  I  wanted 
him  to  see  that  I  was  so  sure  he  was  gentle  I  was 
willing  to  risk  him  myself.  He  turned  to  Nasho  and 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  the  pony. 

"  He  good  one.  Carley  pick  right.  Must  give  him 
plenty  eat." 

I  rode  him  about  and  found  he  had  a  good  sobre paso 
walk,  and  a  quick,  easy  gallop.  When  I  came  back 
with  him  I  told  the  gentleman  he  was  gentle  and  a 
good  riding  horse,  and  I  thought  he  would  suit  him. 
He  couldn't  stand  as  much  as  some  of  the  others,  but 
he  would  have  plenty  to  eat  and  not  much  to  do,  and 
would  keep  fat.  He  thanked  me  for  picking  him  out, 
and  I  showed  him  the  horses  me  and  Nasho  had 
bought.  He  asked  me  why  I  didn't  take  them  out  of 
the  herd,  and  I  told  him  Uncle  had  gone  to  try  and  get 
the  money  to  pay  for  them  ;  that  we  had  the  money 
at  home,  but  hadn't  brought  it  with  us.  He  asked  me 
when  I  would  be  in  San  Antonio  again  and  I  told  him 
early  in  March. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  Charley,  I'll  loan  you  the  money  to 
pay  for  them  if  you  will  give  me  your  note  for  it  to  be 
paid  by  the  fifteenth  day  of  March." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  indeed,  and 
I'll  be  sure  to  pay  you  by  that  time,  because  I  have 


CIIARLEV    AND    XASIIO    IN    TEXAS.  151 

got  the  money  at  home.  But  I  don't  want  but  two  of 
the  horses  ;  Nasho  wants  the  other  two." 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  don't  know  any  thing  about  Nasho,  and 
can't  lend  him  the  money." 

But  he  has  as  much  money  as  I  have. 

"  Yes,  but  maybe  he  will  not  want  to  pay  me  !  " 

Oh,  yes,  sir,  he  will.     I'm  sure  of  that. 

"  Will  you  go  his  security  ?  " 

You  mean,  sir,  that  I  will  agree  to  pay  it  if  he 
don't  ? 

"  Yes  ;  that  is  it  exactly." 

Yes,  sir,  I'll  do  that ;  for  I  know  he  has  the  money 
and  I'm  sure  he'll  pay  it. 

"  Very  well,  I  will  pay  for  the  horses." 

He  paid  the  man  for  them. 

"  Now  come  up  to  my  office  and  we  will  fix  the 
note." 

We  left  the  horses  tied,  and  went  with  him.  He 
sat  down  and  wrote  two  notes.  I  remember  them 
perfectly  well  because  it  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever 
promised  to  pay  money  that  way,  and  I  couldn't  help 
but  be  a  little  afraid  I  might  lose  my  money  and  not 
be  able  to  pay  him  when  it  was  due.  They  were  in 
these  words. 

$65  SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXAS,  Feby.  8th,  1876. 

I  promise  to  pay  to  C.  H.Vandervere  or  order  sixty- 
five  ($65)  dollars  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1876, 
money  borrowed. 

CHARLES  ZANCO. 


152  LIVE    BO  VS. 

$55  SAX  ANTONIO,  TEXAS,  Feby.  8th,  1876. 

I  promise  to  pay  to  C.  H.  Vandervere  or  order  fifty- 
five  ($55)  dollars  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1876, 
money  borrowed. 

YGNACIO  DE  GARAPITAS. 

My  horses  were  the  best  and  cost  the  most. 

Then  Col.  Vandervere,  I  kne\v  that  was  his  name 
from  the  note,  said  : — 

"  Now  Charley,  how  are  you  going  to  make  yourself 
security  for  your  friend.  You  know  I  am  trusting 
you  and  not  him.  I  couldn't  collect  the  money  from 
either  of  you  because  you  are  only  boys,  and  boys 
can't  give  notes  that  can  be  collected  by  law  if  they 
won't  pay  them  ?  " 

I  thought  a  moment,  and  then  took  the  pen  and 
wrote  under  Nasho's  note  : — 

If  Nasho  don't  pay  the  money,  I  will. 

CHARLEY  ZANCO. 

"  But,  Charley,  this  note  is  signed  Ygnacio  de  Gara- 
pitas,  and  you  say  if  Nasho  don't,  etc.  Nobody  knows 
who  Nasho  is." 

Oh  yes,  sir,  I  see.  I  ought  to  have  written  his  full 
name. 

"  Is  there  any  thing  else  wanting  ?  " 

I  don't  see  any  thing  else,  sir. 

"  Ygnacio  de  Garapitas  says  he  will  pay  this  money 
on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1876,  but  you  do  not 
say  when  you  will  pay  it  if  he  fails." 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        153 

Yes,  sir,  I  see  now.  I  ought  to  have  said  on  the 
fifteenth  day  of  March,  1876. 

"  Yes,  that  is  right.  But  we  call  the  day  a  note  is 
due  its  maturity,  and  instead  of  saying  the  fifteenth 
day  of  March  again,  we  say  at  maturity.  Do  you  un 
derstand  ? " 

Yes,  sir. 

"  Well,  we  have  spoiled  this  note  ;  what  must  we 
do  about  it." 

Tear  it  up,  sir,  and  make  another. 

"  Why  tear  it  up  ?  " 

Because,  sir,  if  we  didn't  I  would  be  promising  to 
pay  you  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  instead  of 
sixty-five. 

"  Exactly.  Learn  to  do  things  right,  Charley.  If 
people  would  always  be  careful  and  know  first  exactly 
what  they  meant  in  dealing  with  each  other,  and 
second,  put  every  thing  down  on  paper  exactly  as 
they  meant,  there  would  not  be  much  work  for  the 
lawyers.  My  word  for  it,  Charley,  the  way  to  win  law- 
suits is  never  to  have  one." 

I  don't  see  how  I  could  win  a  lawsuit  if  I  never  had 
one. 

"  What  is  it  you  win  by  a  lawsuit  ? " 

The  money  or  other  thing  we  go  to  law  about. 

"  Well,  now  if  you  make  your  agreement  in  the 
beginning  so  plain  that  there  can  be  no  misunder- 
standing it,  don't  you  see  that  the  other  party  will  not 
be  likely  to  go  to  law  about  it  ?  " 

Yes,  sir,  because  he  would  be  sure  to  lose. 


154  ~iVE    BOYS. 

"  Yes ;  and  not  only  have  to  pay  you,  but  the  costs 
of  going  to  law,  and  probably  his  lawyer.  Now  if 
you  prevent  a  lawsuit  by  making  every  thing  too  plain 
to  go  to  law  about,  you  get  your  money  or  property, 
and  that  is  all  you  could  do  by  a  suit." 

Yes,  sir,  I  see  now.  I  don't  win  the  suit  because 
there  won't  be  any,  but  I  get  all  that  I  could  get  by 
a  suit,  without  it. 

"  And  save  much  time,  trouble  and  expense.  Now 
sit  here,  Charley,  and  write  another  note  and  make 
yourself  security." 

I  sat  down  and  wrote  : — 

$65  SAN  ANTONIO,  Feby.  8th,  1876. 

I  promise  to  pay  C.  H.  Vandervere  or  order  sixty- 
five  dollars  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1876. 

(Nasho  signed  it.)  YGNACIO  DE  GARAPITAS. 

If  Ygnacio  de  Garapitas  don't  pay  this  note  at  ma- 
turity, I  will. 

CHARLES  ZANCO. 

"  That's  right,  Charley.  I  must  get  to  work  now. 
Remember  what  I  have  told  you,  and  whenever  you 
come  to  San  Antonio  come  and  see  me." 

He  handed  me  the  first  note  and  I  put  it  in  the 
stove  where  there  was  a  little  fire,  and  burnt  it  up. 
Then  we  told  Col.  Vandervere  good-bye  and  went 
back  to  the  horse  pen.  Uncle  was  there.  He  said  he 
had  not  got  the  money  but  he  would  go  to  his  mer- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        155 

chant  and  get  it  from  him.  I  told  him  about  the 
note.  He  said  I  ought  to  have  asked  him  about  it 
first,  for  I  might  have  got  cheated.  I  told  him  I 
would  not  have  given  the  note  if  I  had  not  known 
Col.  Vandervere,  but  I  was  certain  he  was  honest 
and  would  not  cheat  me. 

That  evening  we  started  home  and  got   back  all 
right  with  our  horses. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TRIP  TO    CASA    DE    BUEYES. SCENES    AT    THE    RANCH. 

CAPT.    DICK. 

/^\N  the  first  day  of  March  we  were  ready  to  start 
^-^  The  field  was  all  cleared  and  planted,  and  the  corn 
had  been  hoed  out  the  first  time.  Our  horses  were 
in  good  fix,  for  we  had  fed  them  a  good  deal  of  corn 
and  they  had  had  very  little  to  do.  We  had  put  new 
rigging  on  our  saddles  wherever  it  was  needed,  made 
hobbles  for  our  horses,  and  had  two  good  stake-ropes, 
thirty-five  feet  long,  and  a  good  picket-pin,  a  piece  of 
iron  about  eighteen  inches  long,  sharp  at  one  end  so 
it  could  easily  be  driven  into  the  ground,  and  a  head 
at  the  other  with  a  ring  and  swivel. 

Picket-pins  are  a  great  help  on  the  prairie,  because 
often  you  can't  find  a  bush  to  tie  to,  and  then  you  can 
pick  a  clear  place,  if  there  are  bushes,  so  that  your 
horse  won't  tangle  up.  We  had  two  short  ropes  to 
neck  our  loose  horses  with,  so  that  it  would  be  easier 
to  lead  or  drive  them.  Our  saddle-blankets  were 
made  of  moss.  It  is  the  best  thing  I  have  ever  seen 
for  a  saddle-blanket  because  it  is  soft,  and  thick,  and 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IN  TEXAS.        157 

cool,  and  don't  scald  a  horse's  back.  Sometimes 
a  wool  blanket  in  very  hot  weather  will  scald  a  horse's 
back  so  that  it  gets  sore,  and  it  is  very  hard  to  cure 
it,  if  you  have  to  ride  him.  A  saddle-blanket  ought  to 
be  washed  every  month  in  summer  to  get  the  sweat 
and  dirt  out,  because  they  make  it  hard  and  stiff  and 
it  rubs  the  horse's  back.  If  a  man  has  a  good  saddle 
that  fits  his  horse  well,  and  don't  pinch  or  rub  him, 
and  keeps  a  good,  clean,  thick  blanket,  and  when  he 
gets  off  his  horse  to  stop,  if  it  is  very  hot,  will  after 
unsaddlin  him  rub  his  back  dry  with  his  blanket,  his 
horse  will  not  get  a  sore  back.  If  it  gets  rubbed  a  little 
and  he  will  keep  it  well  greased,  it  will  get  well  in  a 
very  few  days.  Axle  grease  is  a  good  thing  to  put  on 
a  sore  back.  If  his  back  gets  rubbed  badly  he  must 
cut  a  hole  in  his  blanket  so  that  neither  it  or  the 
saddle  can  touch  the  sore  place,  and  then  by  keeping 
it  well  greased  it  will  soon  get  well.  He  must  never 
let  his  horse  lie  down  in  the  sand,  or  gravel,  when  he 
is  hot,  and  wet  with  sweat,  as  it  is  almost  certain  to 
make  his  back  sore.  It  is  a  great  deal  easier  to  keep 
a  horse  from  getting  a  sore  back  than  to  cure  it  after 
it  comes. 

We  had  wallets  to  put  our  clothes  in,  but  we  didn't 
take  many  with  us.  One  change  of  under-clothes, 
two  extra  pair  of  socks,  and  an  extra  shirt  apiece, 
were  all  we  wanted.  We  wore  flannel  over-shirts. 
They  are  warm  early  in  the  morning  when  it  is  cool 
and  damp,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day  they  keep  the 
hot  sun  off  better  than  cotton,  and  the  sleeves  are  not 


158  LIVE    BOYS. 

in  the  way  like  coat  sleeves.  We  had  leggins  made 
of  duck  doubled  and  boiled  in  oil,  with  a  leather  belt 
at  the  top  to  fasten  round  the  waist,  and  bound  with 
leather  at  the  bottom  to  keep  from  wearing  out  against 
the  stirrups.  Boiling  in  oil  makes  the  duck  water- 
proof. We  had  blue  soldier  overcoats  to  put  on  herd- 
ing at  night  if  it  was  cold,  or  when  it  rained.  Then 
we  had  apiece  of  oil  cloth  about  six  feet  long  and 
five  wide  to  spread  down  on  the  ground  at  night  to 
keep  the  damp  out,  and  a  rubber-blanket  to  put  over 
us  to  keep  the  rain  over  head  off.  We  never  needed 
the  last  much  going,  because  whenever  it  rained  we 
had  to  be  up  with  the  cattle.  Then  we  had  two  other 
blankets  a-piece,  so  we  were  well  off  for  bed-clothes. 
In  cow-hunting  we  hardly  ever  took  but  one  blanket 
apiece,  because  we  didn't  want  to  load  our  horses  so 
heavily,  and  we  could  sleep  on  our  saddle-blankets, 
but  on  the  drive  you  have  to  keep  a  horse  saddled  all 
the  time,  so  you  can  jump  on  him  in  a  minute  if  the 
cattle  run.  Then  we  had  a  little  bag  apiece  made  of 
water-proof  stuff  to  carry  provisions  in,  and  a  little 
coffee-pot,  and  a  cup  apiece. 

The  night  before  we  were  ready  to  start  Uncle 
talked  to  me  about  our  trip.  He  told  me  it  was  a 
long  trip  for  a  boy  of  my  age,  to  be  left  to  myself 
with  no  one  to  go  to  ask  what  he  should  do  in  many 
cases,  such  as  he  had  never  been  placed  in  before. 
"  Auntie  and  I,"  he  said,  "  Charley,  have  tried  to 
teach  you  what  was  right,  and  what  is  right  here  will 
be  right  in  St.  Louis  or  in  Philadelphia.  If  you  will  fol- 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IX    TEXAS.  159 

low  that  I  have  no  fear  but  that  you  will  find  friends  to 
help  you  wherever  you  may  go.  Here  is  one  rule  I 
want  you  to  particularly  remember,  my  dear  boy  :  '  Do 
unto  others  as  you  would  have  others  do  unto  you.' 
Follow  that,  and  it  will  not  only  tell  you  what  to  do 
but  will  make  you  friends  in  doing  so.  Never  allow 
yourself  to  do  any  thing  that  you  think  may  be  ever 
so  little  wrong — you  know  how  soon  a  wide  gap  is 
made  in  a  fence  when  the  first  rail  is  thrown  down. 

You  must  write  to  us,  Charley,  when  you  get  through 
.with  the  cattle,  and  after  you  get  to  Philadelphia.  I 
have  done  very  little  in  the  way  of  letter-writing,  but 
I  will  let  you  know  how  things  are  going  on  at  the  old 
place,  and  if  you  get  sick  or  any  thing  happens  to 
you,  be  sure  and  let  me  know,  and  Auntie  and  I  will 
find  some  way  to  help  you." 

Early  the  next  morning  we  saddled  our  horses, 
packed  our  blankets,  wallets  and  camp  tricks  on  one 
of  our  led  horses,  and  tied  the  other  two  together. 
When  Auntie  came  to  tell  me  good-bye  I  couldn't 
help  but  cry  a  little,  because  I  felt  so  sorry  for  her  ; 
she  seemed  to  feel  so  badly  at  my  going  away.  I 
didn't  seem  to  mind  it  much  on  my  account  :  it  was 
for  her  I  felt  so  bad.  She  has  been  just  the  best 
Auntie  in  the  world  to  me,  Mr.  Morecamp.  After  I 
got  in  the  saddle  Uncle  shook  hands  with  me  and 
whispered  :  — 

"  Remember  Uncle's  last  advice.  '  Do  unto  others 
as  you  would  have  others  do  unto  you.'  Nasho  went 
first,  leading  the  pack-horse,  then  came  the  two  necked 


ICO  LIVE    BOYS. 

horses  and  monkey  by  himself,  for  though  he  was  so 
playful  and  full  of  tricks,  he  never  tried  to  run  away, 
and  I  came  behind  on  Comanche  to  drive  the  loose 
horses.  We  had  tied  up  the  dogs  to  keep  them  from 
following  us.  When  we  got  to  the  bend  of  the  road  I 
turned  for  one  more  look  at  the  old  place,  and  saw 
Auntie  still  standing  where  I  had  left  her,  wiping 
her  eyes  with  her  apron.  I  couldn't  help  it.  I  just 
galloped  back,  and  jumped  down  and  kissed  her  until 
she  stopped  crying  and  then  I  &oc  on  Comanche  in  a 
hurry  and  just  gave  him  the  reins  until  I  caught  up 
with  Nasho. 

That  evening.,  about  sundown  we  stopped  at  a  house 
and  bought  some  fodder  for  our  horses,  for  there  was 
hardly  any  grass,  and  then  found  a  good  place  and 
camped.  We  had  brought  corn  enough  with  us  for 
two  feeds.  The  next  morning  we  were  off  by  sun  up 
and  got  to  San  Antonio  by  dinner  time,  but  we  didn't 
stop  there  long.  I  went  to  Col.  Vandervere's  office 
and  paid  him  the  money  me  and  Nasho  owed  him  and 
got  our  notes.  He  said  the  horse  I  had  picked  suited 
his  little  boy  exactly  ;  that  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  dog 
and  rode  easy. 

After  we  left  San  Antonio  the  country  was  a]) 
prairie,  and  the  nearer  to  the  coast  we  got  the 
smoother  and  flatter  it  was.  Some  of  the  grass  was 
coarse  and  rough,  and  not  much  account,  but  a  good 
deal  of  it  was  green  and  short,  and  fine,  called  the 
mesquite  grass.  This  is  the  best  grass  in  Texas  for 
horses,  and  very  good  for  cattle  too.  You  see  cat- 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IN  TEXAS.        l6l 

tie  haven't  got  any  upper  teeth,  and  can't  bite  short 
grass  like  horses.  Horses  will  get  fat  on  mesquite 
grass  in  winter  because  it  comes  up  fresh  and  green 
when  all  the  other  grass  is  dry  and  dead. 

It  took  as  five  days  to  get  to  Casa  de  Bueyes.  We 
camped  out  every  night.  We  had  bought  a  six- 
shooter  between  us  at  San  Antonio,  but  we  didn't  see 
any  game  on  the  way  to  shoot  except  mule-eared 
rabbits,  and  we  didn't  care  any  thing  about  them.  We 
got  to  the  ranch  late  one  evening  just  as  the  hands 
were  coming  in  from  the  day's  work.  They  had  been 
road -bran  cling  a  herd  tha:  was  making  up  to  start  to 
Kansas.  There  were  a  good  many  Mexicans  with 
baggy  leather  breeches  and  great  broad  brimmed  hats, 
and  red  -sashes  round  their  waists.  Nearly  all  the 
men  wore  leather  leggins  and  broad  hats  to  keep  the 
sun  out  of  their  faces,  and  flannel  over-shirts  and  big 
handkerchiefs  tied  loose  round  their  necks.  Some- 
times we  would  have  a  pair  of  leggins,  calzoncros, 
they  call  them,  of  leopard  skin,  open  at  the  bottom  to 
show  his  big  red  or  yellow  boot  tops  turned  down,  and 
rows  of  buttons  down  the  outside  seam,  and  silver 
plates  a  good  deal  bigger  than  a  dollar  over  the  out- 
side buttons  of  his  spurs.  Some  came  up  a  foot 
carrying  their  saddles  on  their  backs  with  the  girths 
and  straps  dragging,  and  others  would  ride  up  and  un- 
saddle and  throw  their  saddles  down  on  the  gallery 
around  the  hous.. 

Col.  Hunt  was  then  on  his  horse,  and  rode  up  and 
shook  hands  with  us  and  asked  us  about  Uncle  and 
ii 


l62  LIVE    BOYS. 

Auntie.  Then  he  called  one  of  his  bosses  and  told 
who  we  were  and  to  take  care  of  us.  He  said  he 
would  see  us  again  to-morrow,  and  then  he  rode  off 
on  a  gallop.  He  was  riding  a  fine  black  horse  as  fat 
and  sleek  as  a  racer.  Several  of  the  men  had  come 
up  round  us  and  was  talking  about  Comanche.  They 
said  he  was  one  of  the  finest  horses  they  had  ever 
seen.  One  of  them  asked  me  where  I  got  him,  and  I 
told  him  me  and  Nasho  had  roped  him. 

"  Where,  little  one?"  asked  another  one  that  had  on 
calzoneros.  I  was  going  to  tell  him,  but  Mr.  Kennedy 
said — "  wait  till  supper  boys,  I  expect  these  young 
ones  are  tired.  They  have  come  from  Kerrville, 
seventy-five  miles  above  San  Antonio,  and  are  going 
to  drive  for  the  Col.  Let  them  put  up  and  get  supper 
and  then  gas  them  as  much  as  you  like,  only  be 
easy  with  them.  Capt.  Dick,  will  you  show  them  the 
ropes  ?  " 

"All  right,  Capt.,  I'll  see  to  'em.'' 

Capt.  Dick  was  the  one  with  the 'leopard  skin' 
calzoneros.  He  was  pretty  tall  and  slender,  with  blue 
eyes  and  light  hair  and  beard.  He  had  a  fancy  worked 
over-shirt  and  a  buckskin  jacket  with  flowers  embroi- 
dered on  the  back.  He  told  us  to  unsaddle  and  turn 
our  horses  loose  with  the  rest,  and  one  of  the  boys 
would  drive  them  to  the  pasture.  We  was  in  a  big 
pasture  then,  but  there  were  smaller  pastures  kept 
for  the  horses  that  were  used  every  clay.  I  asked 
him  if  I  couldn't  get  some  corn  for  Gomanche,  and 
told  him  I  was  willing  to  pay  for  it.  He  showed  me 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        163 

where  to  feed  him,  I  took  him  to  the  stable  and  fed 
him,  and  then  curried  and  brushed  him,  I  always  do 
this  every  night  unless  it  is  raining,  and  it  does  him 
nearly  as  much  good  as  feeding  him,  and  helps  to 
keep  him  fat  and  sleek  and  supple.  Then  we  went  to 
the  house  and  had  supper. 

After  supper  most  of  them  lit  their  pipes  or  made 
cigarrettes.  Some  strolled  out  in  the  yard  and  some 
of  them  cleared  off  one  end  of  the  table  and  began 
playing  cards.  Capt.  Dick  got  a  buffalo  robe  and 
spreading  it  on  the  floor  of  the  gallery  threw  himself 
down  on  it  and  called  me  to  come  and  tell  him  how 
I  caught  my  horse.  When  I  was  telling  him  about 
his  jumping  into  the  Colorado  with  me  he  asked  me 
how  I  felt  when  I  was  going  over.  I  told  him  I  was 
too  busy  thinking  how  I  was  going  to  feel  when  we 
went  under  and  whether  we  would  come  "up  again  or 
not. 

"  I  reckon  you  felt  all  over  in  spots,"  one  of  them 
said.  Several  had  come  up  to  us  to  hear  my  story. 

"  And  the  spots  were  as  big  as  saddle-blankets." 

"  Buffalo's  you'd  better  say,  with  the  hair  in,  and 
every  hair  sticking  like  a  porcupine's  feathers." 

When  I  got  through  one  of  them  said, — "  And  the 
little  greaser  stuck  to  you  and  hunted  you  up  ? " 

I  told  them  then  something  about  Nasho,  and 
asked  them  not  to  call  him  a  greaser,  for  he  didn't 
have  any  father  or  mother,  or  home  of  his  own  but 
Uncle's,  and  he  was  a  real  good  boy,  and  would  make 
a  good  hand. 


164  LIVE    BOYS. 

"  No  boys,"  Capt.  Dick  said,  "  these  boys  ain't  fail 
game.  You  all  know  I  am  as  ready  to  take  a  joke 
as  any  of  you,  and  I  ain't  going  to  ask  for  any  thing 
special  for  the  little  ones,  but  no  imposition,  remem- 
ber. If  anybody  has  any  thing  against  either  of  'em 
let  him  come  to  me  and  I'll  make  it  good  or  give  him 
satisfaction.  Put  that  in  your  pipes  and  maybe  it 
will  save  trouble.  He  asked  me  then  to  take  a  walk 
with  him  to  the  stable,  and  on  the  way  he  told  me 
that  there  were  several  bad  hands  that  were  always 
playing  some  trick  on  new-comers  or  anybody  they 
could  bully.  They  would  slip  a  corncob,  or  cuckle 
burs  under  a  saddle  blanket  to  make  a  horse  pitch,  or 
unfasten  the  girth  and  then  ride  up  and  strike  the 
horse  so  he  would  lurch  quick  and  jump  from  under 
the  rider,  or  put  powder  in  his  pipe,  and  they  had 
stampeded  one  man's  horse.  He  told  me  he  was 
going  as  boss  with  a  herd  of  beeves  for  Col.  Hunt, 
and  would  start  about  the  twentieth  of  April,  and  if 
I  wanted  to  go  with  him  he  would  get  Col.  Hunt  to 
let  him  take  us  both.  He  said  the  beeves  would  need 
more  watching  at  night,  and  would  be  apt  to  give 
more  trouble  about  stampeding,  but  they  wasn't  really 
as  hard  to  drive  as  mixed  cattle. 

I  told  him  I  would  be  glad  to  go  with  him,  and  I 
thought  he  might  count  on  me  and  Nasho  making 
him  good  hands,  for  we  had  both  driven  cattle  a  good 
deal.  When  we  went  back  to  the  house  Capt.  Dick 
gave  us  a  bed  in  his  room,  and  told  us  to  keep  our 
things  in  there  while  we  staved  at  the  ranch.  1  was 


CHARLEY    AND    XASHO    IN    TEXAS.  165 

glad  we  were  to  have  a  room  with  him  because  I 
liked  him  better  than  any  of  the  others  I  saw.  Cow- 
boys are  about  the  roughest  people  I  have  ever  seen. 
They  swear  and  use  more  dirty  words,  and  they  play 
so  many  mean  tricks  on  each  other.  Because  a  man 
wears  rough  clothes  and  leads  a  rough  life,  don't  seem 
to  me  to  be  any  reason  why  he  should  curse  and 
be  dirty  and  mean.  All  cowboys  ain't  that  way. 
Some  of  them  are  as  quiet  as  anybody  and  as  kind 
as  they  can  be,  always  ready  to  lend  a  horse,  or  hunt 
for  a  lost  horse,  or  to  help  another  one  about  any 
work,  and  I  have  noticed  that  some  of  the  quietest 
ones  make  the  best  hands.  They  don't  say  much 
about  what  they  can  do,  or  how  many  beeves  they  can 
rope  or  tie,  but  they  are  always  ready  to  do  any  thing 
that  comes  to  hand 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ROAD-BRANDING  CATTLE. THE  CHUTE.  SOMETHING 

ABOUT  THE  CATTLE  BUSINESS. 

THE  next  day  me  and  Nasho  helped  them  finish 
road-brand.  You  see  when  a  man  is  going  to 
drive  cattle  out  of  the  county  he  has  to  put  a  road- 
brand  on  them,  and  have  a  bill  of  sale  of  every  one  he 
has,  or  he  may  be  taken  up  for  stealing  them.  Some- 
times the  road-brand  is  made  of  the  initials  of  his  name 
like  R.  S.  ;  sometimes  two  letters  will  be  put  together 
like  AL  :  sometimes  it  will  be  a  figure  like  6  or  70, 
or  a  churn-dasher,  or  a  circle  with  a  cross  in  it,  or  a 
hatchet.  It  is  generally  made  of  letters  or  figures,  or 
something  that  won't  cross  lines,  because  where  they 
cross  they  are  apt  to  blotch  and  then  it's  hard  to  tell 
what  the  brand  is  and  who  the  animal  belongs  to.  They 
are  not  near  as  apt  to  blotch  on  grown  cattle  or  horses 
or  young  calves,  because  the  brand  grows  with  their 
hides  and  spreads,  and  if  there  is  any  blotch  it  spreads 
too.  A  brand  for  horses  is  nearly  always  smaller  than 
for  cattle,  because  a  big  brand  looks  ugly  on  a  horse. 
His  hair  is  shorter  and  it  shows  a  heap  plainer  than 
on  cattle.  Horses  are  'most  always  branded  on  the 


CHASLZV    A:;U    XAS.'IO    IX    TEXAS.  \6j 

left  shoulder,  and  cattle  on  the  left  hip,  but  road- 
brands  are  put  on  the  back  above  the  ribs,  or  on  the 
ribs. 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  a  big  job,  Charley,  to 
rope  and  throw  down  and  brand  a  thousand  beeves  ;  it 
must  take  a  long  time." 

They  don't  do  it  that  way,  Mr.  Morecamp.  They 
have  a  big  pen  that  will  hold  five  hundred  or  a  thou- 
sand head,  made  high  and  strong  so  they  can't  jump 
over  it  or  break  it  down,  and  in  one  corner  they  have 
a  little  narrow  pen  about  twenty-five  feet  long  and  not 
more  than  five  or  six  feet  broad.  This  is  made  with 
posts  and  rails  so  that  there  won't  be  any  corners,  and 
is  very  high  and  strong.  It  is  called  a  chute  (shoot]. 
It  is  fixed  so  where  it  opens  into  the  big  pen  that  it 
can  be  shut  off  from  it  by  bars  which  are  pulled  out 
to  one  side  when  it  is  open.  Several  hands  go  into 
the  pen  and  cut  off  ten  or  fifteen  head  and  run  them 
into  the  corner  and  then  in  the  chute,  and  a  man 
who  stands  outside  ready,  runs  in  the  bars  right  quick 
and  shuts  it  up.  Other  hands  have  the  branding 
iron  hot  in  little  fires  that  they  keep  burning  outside 
the  pen  and  close  to  the  chute,  and  the  hands  who 
are  going  to  brand,  climb  up  on  the  sides  of  the  chute 
and  stick  them  to  the  cattle  while  they  are  hot.  You 
see  the  cattle  crowd  up  so  close  together,  and  the 
chute  is  so  narrow,  that  they  can't  get  away,  and  just 
have  to  stand  and  take  it.  They  can  brand  ten  or 
fifteen  head  in  this  way  in  less  than  ten  minutes,  and 
if  they  have  irons  enough  and  keep  them  hot  and 


1 68  LIVE    BOYS. 

ready  they  don't  lose  much  time.  As  soon  as  all  in 
the  chute  are  branded  they  draw  the  bars  out  and 
make  them  go  back  into  the  big  pen  the  way  they  came 
in.  This  takes  nearly  as  much  time  as  branding  them, 
because  the  pen  is  so  narrow  and  they  are  so  crowded 
they  can  hardly  turn  round,  but  as  soon  as  one  gets 
out  the  rest  all  try  to  follow  him.  If  the  cattle  wasn't 
raised  by  the  man  who  is  going  to  brand  them,  but  he 
has  bought  them,  he  and  the  man  he  buys  from  have 
somebody  to  take  down  the  brands  and  marks  while 
they  are  in  the  chute,  and  say  what  kind  of  cattle  they 
are,  beeves,  cows,  four,  three  or  two  year  olds.  If  a 
brand  ain't  plain  so  they  can  see  it  well,  they  wet  it, 
and  that  makes  the  hair  lie  down  flat,  and  it  is  easier 
to  make  it  out.  In  winter  if  an  animal  is  poor  and  its 
hair  is  long  sometimes,  it  looks  so  furry  you  can  hardly 
see  the  brand.  When  they  brand  calves  in  the  spring, 
if  the  iron  is  very  hot  and  burns  them,  they  often  rub 
the  place  well  with  grease  so  it  will  cure  up  quick. 

"  Charley,  suppose  Mr.  A.  sells  Mr.  B.  ten  head  of 
cattle,  and  Mr.  B.  don't  want  to  drive  them  away,  but 
just  lets  them  stay  in  the  range.  Mr.  B.  puts  his 
brand  on  them,  don't  he  ? " 

Yes,  sir. 

"  Now  suppose  each  of  them  has  a  thousand  head 
of  cattle,  they  can't  recollect  the  particular  looks  of 
each  one,  and  when  they  come  to  gather  they  .find  ten 
heads  with  the  brands  of  both  on  them,  how  can  their 
hands,  who  don't  know  any  thing  about  the  trade,  tel] 
who  they  belong  to  ?  " 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  169 

Why  you  see,  sir,  the  brands  of  Mr.  B.  would  be 
the  smallest  and  freshest,  and  would  show  it  was  put 
on  last,  and  they  were  his  cattle.  But  the  right  way 
is  for  Mr.  A.  to  counterbrand  the  cattle  when  he  sells 
them  ;  that  is,  to  put  his  brand  on  again.  That  shows 
they  don't  belong  to  him  any  longer.  Then  when 
Mr.  B.  puts  his  brand  on  it  shows  they  belong  to  him. 

"  Then  if  Mr.  A.'s  brand  is  A.  and  Mr.  B.'s  brand  is 
B.,  and  Mr.  A.  sells  a  beef  to  Mr.  B.,  he  would  be 
branded  this  way  : — A.  A.  B." 

Yes,  sir,  only  all  the  brands  may  not  be  close  to- 
gether. The  counterbrand  ought  to  be  close  to  the 
old  brand,  because  that  tells  anybody  that  looks  at  the 
animal  that  he  don't  belong  to  the  man  who  owns  the 
first  brand,  and  he  will  look  then  to  see  what  other 
brand  he  has. 

"  But  suppose  two  men  have  the  same  brand  ?  " 

That  ain't  allowed,  sir.  A  man  when  he  takes  a 
brand  and  mark  has  to  have  it  put  down  in  a  book  of 
marks  and  brands  at  the  court-house,  and  that  tells 
everybody  that  he  has  taken  that  brand  for  his  cattle. 
If  anybody  else  comes  and  takes  the  same  brand  the 
man  who  took  it  first  has  a  right  to  take  all  the  cattle. 
These  men  have  so  many  cattle  they  can't  remember 
the  flesh-marks,  and  it  is  very  easy  to  cut  the  ear  and 
change  the  mark,  so  the  brand  is  the  thing  to  go  by. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  flesh-marks,  Charley  ? " 

The  color  and  spots. 

"  All  right,  Charley,  go  ahead.  I  understand  about 
the  brands  now." 


I/O  LIVE    BOYS. 

We  got  through  branding  that  day,  and  we  was  glad 
of-  it,  for  it  was  mean  work.  Running  round  the  pen 
so  much  keeps  the  fine  dust  stirred  up  and  it  gets  all 
over  you  and  in  your  ncse  and  eyes.  Me  and  Nasho 
helped  cut  out  and  run  into  the  chute  some  of  the 
time,  and  the  rest  we  heated  irons  and  handed  them 
to  the  men  who  staid  on  the  chute  to  brand.  Capt 
Dick  was  busy  on  the  chute  all  day  taking  down  the 
marks  and  brands,  for  these  were  cattle  Col.  Hunt 
had  bought.  Col.  Hunt  was  there  too.  Late  in  the 
evening  when  we  got  through  he  came  to  me  and  told 
me  he  was  going  to  leave  in  a  day  or  two  and  wouldn't 
see  me  any  more  until  I  got  to  Kansas.  He  asked 
me  what  kind  of  cattle  I  would  rather  drive,  and  I 
told  him  "  beeves."  Then  he  said,  "  Suppose  I  send 
you  with  Capt.  Dick  next  month  ?  I  told  him  I  would 
like  very  much  to  go  with  him.  He  said  I  might 
then,  and  he  wanted  me  to  remember  I  was  as  much 
a  hand  as  anybody  else  and  not  under  anybody's 
orders  but  Capt.  Dick's.  When  we  were  driving  or 
herding  or  working  with  the  cattle  it  would  always  be 
right  for  me  to  do  as  the  older  hands  said,  because 
they  knew  best,  and  there  must  be  somebody  to  take 
charge,  but  no  one  had  a  right  to  order  me  or  Nasho 
to  do  any  thing  for  them  that  wasn't  any  part  of  my 
duty  as  a  hand.  He  said  he  had  some  rough,  wild 
hands  ;  that  he  couldn't  be  with  them  himself,  and 
couldn't  stop  to  ask  questions  about  men  when  they 
wanted  to  hire,  but  that  if  any  one  troubled  me  to  let 
Capt.  Dick  know  and  he  would  see  I  was  not  imposed 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        I /I 

on.  He  said  me  and  Nasho  must  be  good  boys  and 
not  get  into  trouble  or  learn  what  was  bad  from  the 
bad  men  we  might  be  with,  and  he  would  see  us 
again  when  we  got  through  to  Kansas.  I  thanked 
him  for  his  kindness,  and  he  got  on  his  horse  and 
rode  away  on  a  gallop,  for  he  didn't  stay  at  the  house 
where  we  did.  He  had  just  had  a  long  talk  with 
Capt.  Dick  before  he  came  to  me.  All  the  men  seem 
to  like  the  Col,  as  they  call  him,  when  talking  about 
him.  „ 

Capt.  Dick  told  me  that  night  that  there  wouldn't 
be  any  thing  for  me  and  Nasho  to  do  the  next  day,  as 
he  was  going  out  west  after  cattle  on  the  day  after, 
and  he  had  some  chores  to  do  about  the  ranch  before 
he  started.  He  said  we  had  better  take  a  rest  day  as 
we  might  have  a  hard  trip  gathering  the  cattle  and 
would  be  gone  three  weeks  at  least,  and  as  soon  as  we 
got  back  we  would  start  to  Kansas.  I  asked  him  if 
we  mightn't  go  to  the  coast  and  take  a  look  at  the 
gulf,  for  I  never  had  seen  it  and  I  would  like  to  now 
I  was  close  to  it.  He  said  yes,  that  it  was  only  about 
eight  miles,  and  we  could  take  the  shot-gun  and  may- 
be we  might  kill  a  goose  or  some  ducks.  He  said 
there  were  plenty  of  deer,  and  panther,  and  turkeys, 
and  cows,  and  wild  hogs,  and  cattle,  and  some  bear 
in  the  Busada,  but  we  had  better  not  go  there  to- 
morrow. If  we  got  time  when  we  came  back  we 
would  take  a  hunt  before  we  started  to  Kansas. 
What  is  the  Busada,  Charley  ?  " 

A  big  thicket'  miles  long  and  wide  so  grown  up 


LIVE    BOYS. 


with  mesquite  and  chapparal  and  all  kinds  of  thorny 
bushes  that  you  can  hardly  get  through  it.  Caftle 
and  hogs  get  in  it,  and  nobody  can  get  to  them,  and 
they  go  wild  and  stay  there  and  raise  in  it.  There  is 
plenty  of  grass  and  young  bushes  and  moss  for  them 
to  live  on,  and  water  to  drink,  and  in  winter  it's  one 
of  the  best  shelters  in  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    TRIP    TO   THE    GULF    SHORE. CHARLEY    KILLS    TWO 

SWANS    AND     IS     LEFT    NAKED    ON    THE    PRAIRIE.  

TURNING      TAILOR.  —  FOUND      BY    CAPT.    DICK      AND 
NASHO. 

THE  next  morning  me  and  Nasho  started  early 
taking  with  us  a  double-barrel  shot-gun,  leaded 
with  buck-shot,  and  plenty  of  buck-shot  and  geese- 
shot.  Capt.  Dick  shouted  to  me  as  we  rode  off  :  — 

"  Bring  me  avension  ham,  Charley." 

All  right,  Capt.,  I'll  try. 

I  was  riding  Monkey,  and  the  little  rascal  wouldn't 
keep  still,  but  kept  fretting  and  prancing  about  all  the 
time.  A  cool  norther  was  blowing,  but  as  we  had 
our  backs  to  it,  we  didn't  mind  the  cold. 

We  saw  lots  of  geese  and  ducks,  the  geese  flying 
about,  or  standing  in  bunches  over  the  prairies  where 
the  grass  was  short,  and  in  some  places  the  prairie 
seemed  almost  spotted  with  the  sand-hill  cranes, 
whose  long  necks  stuck  up  through  the  weeds  and 
tall  grass  where  they  were  hunting  their  dinners.  But 
neither  the  geese  or  the  cranes  would  let  us  get 
close  enough  for  a  shot,  and  we  didn't  try  very  hard, 
because  we  thought  we  would  have  plenty  of  chances 


1/4  LIVE    BOYS. 

on  our  way  back,  and  if  we  killed  any  thing  going  we 
would  have  to  carry  it  so  much  further.  Wherever 
there  was  a  pool  of  water,  there  was  sure  to  be  plenty 
of  ducks,  but  ducks  are  as  hard  to  creep  upon  as 
deer,  and  we  didn't  try  much.  We  had  several 
sloughs  to  cross,  and  one  or  two  of  them  were  boggy, 
but  our  horses  were  too  smart  to  go  in  anywhere 
they  couldn't  get  out.  S  imetimes  we  would  have  to 
go  a  good  way  round  to  fi.id  a  place  where  we  could 
cross. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  got  to  the  sea.  The  first 
thing  I  thought  was  how  strange  it  was  that  so  much 
water  with  no  bank  to  hold  it  in,  didn't  run  over. 
Nasho  got  off  his  horse  and  knelt  down  and  took  a 
big  mouthful,  but  he  spit  it  out  pretty  quick  and 
sputtered,  and  wiped  his  mouth  and  said  :  May  mala  ! 
muy  mala  !  *  Carley,  what  for  you  no  tell  me  water 
no  good  ? " 

I  told  him  I  wasn't  thinking  about  his  drinking  it : 
I  thought  he  knew  it  was  salt.  Seems  to  me  if  I  had 
never  read  any  thing  about  the  ocean  I  woufd,  have 
known  when  I  saw  it  that  it  wasn't  fit  to  drink.  I 
sat  on  my  horse  a  long  time  watching  the  water  come 
tumbling  in,  in  long  rolls,  that  would  be  smooth  and 
even  until  they  got  near  the  shore,  and  then  rear  up  in 
a  long  line  with  a  white  foamy  top  and  fall  all  to 
pieces.  I  think  I  found  out  what  makes  it  do  that 
way.  It's  because  tho  water  at  the  bottom  strikes 
against  the  ground  and  can't  go  on  as  fast  as  that  on 

*  Very  bad. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        IJ\ 

top,  and  so  the  top  falls  over  the  bottom  and  breaks  all 
to  pieces. 

Then  I  got  down  and  walked  along  the  shore  look- 
ing for  shells,  and  found  some  pretty  ones,  though 
most  of  them  was  large  and  white.  It's  curious  that 
the  star-shaped  ones  should  all  be  so  near  alike,  and 
I'd  like  to  know  where  the  fish  stays — I  couldn't  see 
any  place  big  enough  to  hold  him.  The  sea  nettles 
look  like  lumps  of  jelly  or  gristle  floating  in  the 
water.  I  thought  they  were  some  sort  of  vegetable 
that  grew  in  the  sea,  but  Capt.  Dick  says  they  are 
live  fish  like  sponges,  though  more  like  vegetables 
than  fish,  and  that  if  anybody  gets  against  them  in  the 
water  they  can  sting.  We  picked  up  shells  a  while 
and  then  we  stopped  and  ate  our  dinner.  We  made 
a  fire  out  of  some  sticks  that  had  been  thrown  up  by 
the  ocean  sometime  when  the  water  must  have  come 
up  a  great  deal  higher  than  it  did  while  we  were  there, 
and  broiled  our  bacon.  We  hadn't  brought  any  coffee. 
After  dinner  .1  walked  up  and  down  along  the  water's 
edge  for"ct  while  and  picked  up  a  pocket  full  of  the 
prettiest  shells  I  could  find.  Nasho  didn't  care  any 
thing  about  them,  and  staid  with  the  horses.  Some- 
times there  would  be  long  heaps  of  sand  as  high  as  a 
man's  head  back  apiece  from  the  water  that  seemed 
to  have  been  piled  up  by  it  when  it  was  high,  and 
then  the  grass  would  come  down  almost  to  the  water  s 
edge.  Where  there  were  level  places  that  got  cov- 
ered by  the  water  nothing  grew — it  was  just  bare 
sand  Wherever  there  were  any  trees  they  all  had 


1/6  LIVE    BOYS. 

their  branches  turned  to  the  north.  Capt.  Dick  told 
me  afterward  it  was  because  the  south  wind  blew  so 
much  and  strong  that  they  got  turned  that  way  while 
they  were  young  and  tender. 

I  reckon  it  was  nearly  two  o'clock  when  we  started 
back,  going  up  a  long  narrow  strip  of  water  that  seem- 
ed to  run  from  the  sea  back  into  the  country.  We 
didn't  go  but  a  mile  or  so  when  we  saw  a  bunch  of 
deer  on  the  other  side  of  a  little  hollow,  and  Nasho 
asked  me  to  let  him  take  the  gun  and  get  a  shot.  I 
wanted  to  shoot  myself,  but  I  told  him  he  might.  He 
got  off  his  horse  and  bent  down  until  he  got  into  the 
hollow  and  I  didn't  see  any  more  of  him  until  I  saw 
the  smoke,  and  heard  the  gun  fire,  both  barrels,  and 
saw  two  deer  fall,  one  right  after  the  other.  I  hurried 
up  as  fast  as  I  could  with  the  horses  and  found  he 
had  killed  two.  He  had  crawled  up  in  about  fifteen 
steps  of  the  bunch  and  made  sure  of  each  shot.  We 
just  cut  them  open  and  washed  them  out,  and  wiped 
them  with  grass,  and  put  one  on  each  of  our  horses, 
and  rode  on  up  the  bayou  again.  It  was  getting  cold 
with-the  wind  in  our  faces  all  the  time.  We  went 
about  a  mile  further  and  I  saw  two  big  white  birds 
a  great  deal  bigger  than  geese  swimming  about  in  a 
wide  place  in  the  bayou.  We  rode  up  as  close  as  we 
could  and  not  scare  them,  and  I  got  down  and  crept 
up  in  a  few  feet  of  the  bank.  They  didn't  see  me, 
for  I  was  behind  some  tall  grass  that  grew  along  the 
edge,  and  kept  swimming  about  just  because  it  was 
so  easy  for  them  to  swim  I  reckon.  One  lick  with 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        I// 

their  big  red  feet  would  carry  them  a  good  way,  and 
the  least  little  turn  of  their  feet  would  turn  them 
round.  Directly  they  came  together  and  put  their 
heads  down  right  close  together  to  something  that 
was  on  the  water,  and  I  took  good  aim  and  fired.  I 
was  watching  ready  to  fire  the  other  barrel  if  either 
go.  up,  but  they  didn't,  and  I  saw  I  had  killed  bo:h. 
Nasho  came  up  with  the  horses,  and  we  took  the 
deer  off  and  laid  them  on  the  ground.  I  loaded  the 
barrel  I  had  fired,  and  took  out  my  knife  to  get  the 
old  cap  off  of  the  tube  ;  it  had  got  mashed  down  so 
tight  I  couldn't  pull  it  off  with  my  thumb  nail.  I  laid 
my  knife  down  on  one  of  the  deer,  and  then  began  to 
think  about  how  I  was  going  to  get  my  swans.  They 
was  out  in  the  middle  of  the  bayou  perfectly  still,  for 
there  didn't  seem  to  be  any  current.  There  wasn't 
but  one  way,  because  I  was  afraid  to  ride  in  for  fear 
it  might  be  boggy.  I  would  have  to  swim  in  and  get 
them.  So  I  took  off  my  clothes  and  laid  them  across 
the  saddle  to  keep  them  off  the  wet  ground,  all  but 
my  hat,  which  I  threw  down  on  the  deer  by  the  gun. 
Then  I  jumped  in  and  swam  out  to  them  and  got 
them  by  the  necks  and  brought  them  to  shore.  The 
water  was  right  cold,  but  I  didn't  mind  that  much. 
But  when  I  got  back  and  climbed  up  the  bank  again, 
Nasho  and  the  horses  was  gone.  I  knew  in  a  minute 
how  it  was.  Thit  rascally  little  Monkey  had  run  off 
and  Xasho  was  after  him.  Directly  I  saw  them  come 
out  of  a  hollow  going  towards  the  ranch.  They  were 
half  a  mile  off,  but  I  could  see  my  clothes  were  still 

12 


1/8  LIVE    BOYS. 

sticking  to  the  saddle.  Monkey  was  ahead  and 
Nasho  didn't  seem  to  be  gaining  on  him  much.  I 
watched  them  till  they  got  out  of  sight,  and  then 
began  to  think  what  I  must  do,  for  it  was  getting 
colder  and  I  was  shivering  already.  I  didn't  stop 
to  i.Iiink  long,  because  there  didn't  seem  but  one  thing 
to  do.  I  put  on  my  boots  which  I  had  thrown  down 
on  the  ground,  and  then  took  my  knife  and  skinned 
the  deer  as  fast  as  I  could.  I  cut  the  skin  off  round 
the  neck,  and  legs,  and  just  skinned  the  bodies,  and 
it  didn't  take  me  very  long  because  my  knife  was 
sharp  and  I  worked  fast,  for  I  was  cold  and  it  was 
getting  later  all  the  time.  Then  I  put  one  skin 
round  each  leg  and  fastened  them  with  strings  I  cut 
off  of  the  edges  so  as  to  make  a  pair  of  leggins,  and 
run  a  string  through  holes  along  the  top  so  I  could 
fasten  it  round  my  waist  and  keep  them  up.  Now  I 
wanted  a  coat.  I  pitched  into  the  swans,  and  cut 
the  skin  round  their  necks,  and  then  split  them  down 
the  bellies,  and  found  I  could  peel  their  skins,  feathers, 
and  all  off  just  like  the  deer  hides,  only  a  heap  easier. 
When  I  come  to  the  wings  I  just  cut  them  off.  Then 
I  took  a  narrow  strip  of  the  deer  skin  and  fastened 
the  bottom  of  one  swan-skin  to  the  bottom  of  the 
other,  and  found  it  made  me  a  pretty  good  cloak, 
plenty  big  enough  to  go  round  me  and  cover  me  from 
the  neck  down  below  my  waist.  The  swan-skins 
were  nearly  as  tough  as  cloth,  which  was  good  luck 
for  me.  I  cut  some  more  strings  off  the  deer  legs, 
and  fastened  my  feather  cloak  round  me  as  close  as  I 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        1 79 

could  so  as  to  keep  the  wind  off,  and  was  ready  to 
move,  for  I  had  no  notion  of  staying  there  waiting  for 
Nasho,  for  I  didn't  believe  he  was  going  to  catch 
Monkey  until  lie  got  to  the  ranch,  and  then  he  wouldn't 
have  any  time  to  get  back  before  night,  and  he 
couldn't  see  to  travel  after  night,  for  it  was  cloudy 
and  no  moon,  and  he  might  get  into  a  boggy  slough. 
I  picked  up  the  gun,  and  stuck  my  knife  in  my  waist- 
belt  so  it  would  stay,  and  was  going  to  start,  when  I 
remembered  what  Capt.  Dick  had  said  about  bringing 
him  a  venison  ham. 

In  about  a  minute  I  had  a  ham  off,  and  with  that 
in  one  hand  and  the  gun  on  my  shoulder,  I  struck  out 
pretty  lively.  I  didn't  go  more  than  two  miles  before 
it  began  to  get  dark,  and  rain  a  little  drizzle,  and  I 
knew  I  wouldn't  be  able  to  make  the  ranch  that  night 
because  I  couldn't  see  which  way  to  travel  after  dark, 
If  the  stars  would  have  come  out  it  would  have  been 
easy  enough.  I  think  I  could  have  managed  it  any- 
how by  the  wind,  taking  care  to  keep  it  in  the  same 
place  on  my  face  all  the  time,  but  I  was  afraid  I 
would  strike  some  boggy  slough  that  I  couldn't  get 
over,  and  have  to  lay  out  all  night  without  fire.  So 
I  thought  I  would  look  for  a  camp  while  it  was  light. 
My  cloak  did  first-rate,  but  my  leggins  was  rough  and 
rubbed  my  legs  and  made  it  hard  for  me  to  travel. 

By  good  luck  I  soon  saw  a  thicket  of  young  live- 
oaks  and  going  to  it  found  a  big  live-oak  tree  that  had 
been  blown  down  by  the  wind.  I  commenced  hunting 
for  the  finest,  softest,  dryest  grass  I  could  find.  I 


l8O  LIVE    BOYS. 

happened  to  think  of  the  roots,  and  looking  amongst 
them  found  an  old  nest  of  a  rat  or  a  rabbit,  just  the 
.thing  I  wanted,  dry  as  a  powder  house,  and  fine  and 
soft  as  cotton.  I  drew  the  shot  out  of  one  barrel  of 
my  gun,  and  put  the  nest  against  some  little  branches 
and  fired  into  it.  It  caught  fire  and  I  had  some  dry 
grass  and  little  twigs  ready  and  in  a  few  minutes  I 
had  a  good  fire  started. 

When  I  got  some  of  the  straightest  limbs  I  could 
find  and  laid  from  the  top  of  the  tree  trunk  to  the 
ground,  and  covered  them  over  with  long  grass  like  they 
do  in  thatching,  and  made  me  a  snug  place  to  lie 
down  in,  I  got  some  more  grass  for  my  bed.  It 
wasn't  easy  to  get  much,  because  it  was  nearly  all  wet. 
Then  I  got  a  big  lot  of  branches  and  laid  them  so  I 
could  get  them  easy  in  the  night,  and  was  ready  to 
go  to  bed,  for  it  was  dark.  It  was  still  raining  a  little, 
but  not  much. 

I  was  hungry,  and  could  have  cooked  some  of  the 
deer  meet,  but  I  didn't  have  any  salt  to  eat  it  with, 
and  I  don't  like  meat  without  salt  unless  it  is  dried, 
and  even  then  it  ain't  good.  I  pulled  off  my  leggins 
because  I  knew  they  would  get  hard  and  stiff,  and 
sat  under  my  shelter  a  while  thinking  about  Uncle 
and  Auntie,  and  wondering  if  Comanche  had  had 
his  supper,  and  if  Nasho  caught  Monkey,  and  wishing 
I  was  at  the  ranch.  I  was  certain  Monkey  would 
go  back  to  the  ranch,  so  I  wasn't  uneasy  about  losing 
him.  Then  I  put  on  some  more  wood,  and  laid  down 
to  sleep  covering  myself  the  best  I  could  with  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        I  Si 

feather  cloak  and  the  dry  grass  I  had  got  together.  I 
put  the  gun  close  to  me  so  I  could  lay  my  hand  on  it 
in  a  minute  if  I  wanted  to,  but  I  wasn't  afraid  of 
any  thing,  because  I  knew  nothing  would  be  out  on 
the  prairie  such  a  n'ght  except  the  wolves,  and  they 
wouldn't  trouble  me. 

I  was  fast  asleep  when  I  heard  somebody  shouting, 
and  jumped  up  and  looked  out.  You  know  I  couldn't 
stand  up  in  my  shanty,  and  there  was  two  somebody's 
on  horseback. 

Who's  there  ?  I  said. 

"  Well,  little  one,  you'll  do  !  "  and  Capt.  Dick  got 
off  his  horse  and  came  to  the  fr  leading  his  horse 
by  the  bridle.  I  crawled  out  and  ran  to  him  and  shook 
hands  with  him,  and  Nasho  came  up  and  I  just  hug- 
ged him.  I  was  mighty  glad  to  see  them. 

They  warmed  a  minute  or  two  and  then  unsaddled 
their  horses  and  fastened  them  to  the  tree.  Then 
they  came  back  to  the  fire  with  their  saddle-blankets, 
and  saddles  and  things.  Capt.  Dick  said: 

"  Hello,  Charley,  what's  this  you've  got  on  ?  "  and 
I  told  him  how  I  had  made  me  a  suit,  and  pulled  off 
my  leggins  when  I  laid  down,  and  about  finding  the 
rat's  nest  and  making  fire,  and  building  me  a  bush 
arbor,  and  showed  him  I  was  fixed  pretty  well  for  the 
night. 

"  Well !  little  one,  you  will  do.  You'll  do  to  go  to 
the  Centennial,  or  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  any  other 
seaport.  If  I  had  known  you  was  fixed  so  well  I 
don't  believe  I  would  have  come  after  you  to-night ; 


1 82  LIVE    BOYS. 

but  when  I  saw  Nasho  coming  after  your  rascally 
little  pony,  and  he  told  me  he  had  left  you  stark  naked 
six  miles  off,  with  no  clothes  or  any  way  to  make  fire, 
I  just  crawled  back  into  the  saddle,  and  as  soon  as 
Nasho  could  run  in  and  get  some  coffee  and  grub, 
and  a  couple  of  oil-cloths  and  blankets,  we  struck  out 
lively,  for  it  was  getting  dark  fast.  I  brought  my 
whiskey-flask,  thinking  if  we  had  the  good  luck  to 
find  you  at  all  most  likely  you  would  be  stiff  and 
nearly  froze  ;  but  I  ain't  going  to  waste  Robertson 
County  on  as  lively  a  looking  chap  as  you  are — I  am 
keeping  that  for  stampedes  and  snake-bites.  I  tell  you, 
Charley,  my  little  fellow," — we  was  all  sitting  down 
by  the  fire,  and  he  put  his  arm  around  me  so  I  'most 
felt  like  crying,  for  he  seemed  like  an  older  brother, 
and  you  know  I  never  had  a  brother, — "  I  doubted 
mightily  ever  laying  eyes  on  you  again  with  life  in 
you,  and  it  hurt  me  terrible  to  think  of  coming  upon 
your  poor  little  body  somewhere  to-morrow  stark 
and  stiff,  ii"  the  wolves  hadn't  happened  to  have  lit  on 
you  and  made  a  supper  of  you,  and  I  would  have 
started  if  I  had  ridden  four  hundred  miles  instead  of 
forty,  and  it  had  been  ten  times  as  cold  as  it  was,  and 
ten  times  as  little  chance  of  finding  you."  And  he 
drew  me  up  in  his  arms  on  his  breast,  and  I  believe 
I  cried  a  little.  I  do  love  Capt.  Dick. 

"  Nasho  said  he  was  sure  you  would  start  for  the 
ranch,  and  he  knew  he  could  go  back  to  the  place 
where  he  left  you,  so  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
strike  out  in  that  direction  and  keep  hollering,  hoping 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IN  TEXAS.        183 

you  might  hear  us.  I  am  as  hoarse  as  a  bull-frog, 
little  one,  yelling  for  you. 

"  We  rode  lively  while  we  could  see,  and  then  we 
had  to  take  it  more  coolly,  and  it  was  cool  too,  I  needn't 
tell  you.  Thinking  of  you  out  alone  in  the  prairie 
with  that  cold-hearted  wind  cutting  around  you,  and 
going  into  your  very  blood,  made  mine  run  cold  until 
the  cold  shivers  run  up  and  down  my  back  like  little 
water  streaks  from  a  house  roof. 

"  Every  few  minutes  we  would  stop,  and  I  would 
holler  my  loudest,  and  you  know  I  can  raise  the 
woods  when  I  try ;  but  never  a  note  came  back  to  us, 
and  my  heart  kept  getting  weaker  and  weaker. 
Nasho  kept  saying  : — 

" '  We  no  far  enough,  Capt.  Dick,'  and  we  would 
ride  on  again,  but  I  was  so  afraid  of  passing  or  missing 
you  that  I  would  pull  up  again  directly  and  yell  out 
like  a  wild-cat  on  the  trail.  I  was  beginning  to  think 
that  it  was  all  up,  for  it  had  been  dark  an  hour,  and 
the  chances  of  missing  you  seemed  about  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninty-nine 
out  of  a  million,  when  the  sharp  eyes  of  your  little 
friend  here  caught  the  glint  of  fire  way  ahead,  and  to 
the  left  of  the  course  we  was  going  a  long  way,  and 
we  pushed  for  it  and  here  we  are,  and  damned  glad  to 
see  you  all  right  again,  Charley  my  'boy." 

I  think  Capt.  Dick  was  'most  crying  too,  for  he 
pushed  me  away  and  said. — 

"  Get  your  duds  on,  little  one,  and  we'll  have  some 
supper.  I  reckon  you  are  hungry,  ain't  you?" 


i«4  LIVE    BOYS. 

I  told  him  I  felt  like  I  could  eat  a  whole  ham,  and 
as  soon  as  I  could  get  my  clothes  on,  I  got  the  venison 
ham  out. 

"  What  was  you  carrying  this  for,  Charley  ?  "  said 
he  as  he  began  to  cut  some  slices  off  it  to  broil — 
'fraid  you  would  starve  ?" 

No,  sir ;  you  asked  me  to  bring  you  a  venison  ham, 
and  when  I  started  after  making  my  suit  I  thought 
about  it  and  thought  I'd  try,  and  I  got  it  this  far. 

"  And  you  thought  about  me  even  then.  Well, 
Charley,  if  ever  I  forget  you  or  ain't  ready  to  do  a 
brother's  part  by  you  may  I  be  everlastingly  blowed 
into  the  middle  of  blue  blazes.  Excuse  my  swearing, 
little  one,  and  don't  take  to  it  yourself,  but  I'm  full 
to-night,  and  bound  to  let  off  somehow." 

We  didn't  talk  much  while  we  was  eating,  and  then 
we  stretched  one  of  the  rubber  blankets  they  had 
brought,  for  a  tent,  and  put  down  the  other  one  and 
the  dry  grass  I  had  and  made  a  good  bed  with  the  sad- 
dle-blankets, leaving  the  other  ones  to  cover  with. 
We  tied  the  horses  close  around  the  fire  where  it 
could  help  to  keep  them  warm.  W7hile  we  were 
standing  around  the  fire  just  before  lying  down, 
Nasho  said  : — 

"  Me  mighty  glad  we  find  Carley." 

I  just  think  Nasho  is  one  of  the  best  boys  that  ever 
lived. 

We  had  to  mend  up  the  fire  once  or  twice  in  the 
night,  but  got  a  good  night's  sleep,  and  was  up  early 
in  the  morning  and  rode  to  the  ranch  to  breakfast. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        185 

I  was  going  to  leave  my  leggins  and  cloak,  but  Capt. 
Dick  made  me  take  them  along,  and  said  he  would 
put  them  away  in  a  safe  place  at  the  ranch,  and  maybe 
some  day  I  would  want  them. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CATTLE-DRIVING.  ROUNDING-UP      AND      HERDING. 

CAPT.    DICK    IN     A    TIGHT    PLACE.  —  BACK     TO     THE 
RANCH. 

IT  was  a  bright,  clear  day  that  day,  but  so  cold 
that  some  of  the  hands  wanted  to  put  off  starting 
until  the  next  day ;  but  Capt.  Dick  wouldn't  listen 
to  it.  So  we  got  ready  and  started.  We  took  a  light 
two-horse  wagon  to  carry  the  provisions  and  bedding, 
and  cooking  things.  There  were  seven  white  men 
and  five  Mexicans,  and  nearly  all  had  three  horses 
apiece.  Capt.  Dick  told  me  and  Nasho  we  might 
leave  one  of  our  horses  apiece  at  the  ranch  in  the 
pasture,  and  take  one  of  Col.  Hunt's,  because  we  were 
going  on  the  drive,  and  ought  to  have  one  fresh  horse 
apiece  to  start  with.  I  left  Monkey  because  I  intend- 
ed to  make  him  pay  for  the  trick  he  served  me  in  run- 
ning away  from  me.  Capt.  Dick  and  me  took  two 
sacks  of  oats  apiece  to  feed  Milco  and  Beelzebub  on, 
when  we  had  harder  work  than  common  for  them. 
Beelzebub  is  his  pet  horse.  He  is  as  black  as  a  black 
cat,  with  the  prettiest  curly  mane  and  tail,  and  carries 
himself  just  as  proud  as  can  be,  and  can  run  like  a 


r 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        1 87 

streak.  Capt.  Dick  never  will  let  anybody  ride  him, 
and  Beelzebub  knows  him  as  well  as  a  dog  does  his 
master.  I  wouldn't  give  Comanche  for  him  though. 

We  went  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  nearly 
straight  west,  before  we  began  gathering  at  all.  Capt. 
Dick  and  me  rode  together  most  of  the  time,  but 
sometimes  he  would  call  Nasho,  who  was  'most  always 
behind,  to  ride  up  by  us,  and  ask  him  questions  about 
the  Indians,  and  how  he  lived  among  them.  Nasho 
don't  like  to  talk  to  people  much,  but  he  was  very 
willing  to  talk  to  Capt.  Dick,  and  told  him  some  things 
he  had  never  told  me. 

At  last  we  got  into  the  range  of  the  cattle  we  were 
going  to  gather,  and  Capt.  Dick  said  we  would  begin 
next  day.  The  country  was  all  prairie,  but  with  a 
good  deal  of  mesquite  in  it,  and  some  chapparal. 
Chapparal  is  a  thick  thorny  bush  that  grows  over  a 
good  deal  of  the  western  country.  On  the  Rio  Grande 
it  is  so  thick  you  can't  get  through  it,  but  have  to  take 
the  paths  that  have  been  made  by  cattle  and  horses, 
and  when  you  get  into  a  path  it  is  often  so  narrow 
that  you  can't  turn  around,  but  have  to  just  go  ahead. 
Nasho  told  me  this,  for  I  never  was  there. 

Next  morning  we  began  to  gather.  The  cattle  we 
wanted  was  all  branded  O  M,  and  N  U,  and  marked 
a  square  crop  off  of  each  ear,  so  it  was  easy  to  tell  one 
when  we  saw  it.  We  wasn't  going  to  gather  any  thing 
but  beeves.  Capt.  Dick  told  the  wagon-driver  where 
to  meet  him  at  dinner  time,  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
hands  left  camp  together.  When  we  found  a  bunch 


1 88  LIVE    BOYS. 

of  cattle  we  would  ride  round  them  easy  so  as  not  to 
scare  them,  and  drive  them  all  up  close  together. 
This  is  called  "  rounding  up."  Then  we  would  pick 
out  all  the  beeves  in  the  brands  we  wanted,  and  keep 
them  together,  and  let  as  many  of  the  other  cattle 
slip  out  as  we  could.  Then  seven  men  would  be 
left  with  that  bunch  to  drive  them  along  slow  the  di- 
rection we  were  going,  and  the  other  five  would  ride 
on  and  make  another  "  round,"  and  drive  the  beeves 
we  got,  back  to  the  first  herd. 

Capt.  Dick  always  led  the  drivers  and  let  me  go 
with  him,  but  left  Nasho  with  the  herd.  Rounding 
up  is  harder  work  than  herding,  and  a  great  deal 
harder  on  horses  ;  often  we  would  have  to  run  a  great 
deal  to  get  the  cattle  together  when  they  were  much 
scattered  ;  but  I  had  a  heap  rather  do  it  than  herd. 
The  herd  is  always  hard  to  hold  at  first,  until  they  get 
used  to  it,  because  they  see  the  other  cattle  running 
away  and  they  want  to  go  too,  and  they  keep  dodging 
about  trying  to  slip  by  the  herders,  or  outrun  them. 
Sometimes  when  any  particular  beef  was  very  trouble- 
some, and  kept  running  out,  and  would  make  a 
break,  one  of  the  herders  would  start  after  him. 
Some  of  the  others  would  holler — "  go  to  him  ! " 
"  go  to  him  !  "  and  he  would  run  by  him,  catch  his 
tail  and  wrap  it  round  the  horn  of  his  saddle,  and 
with  a  quick  jump  of  his  horse  past  the  beef  turn  him 
a  summerset.  One  or  two  of  these  falls  nearly  always 
made  a  beef  willing  to  go  back  to  the  herd  and  stay 
there. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        K) 

Cattle  wasn't  very  plenty,  because  so  many  have 
been  driven  out  of  the  country  ;  but  we  gathered  two 
hundred  and  fifty  that  day.  That  night  we  were 
lucky  enough  to  have  a  pen  to  pen  them  in.  Nobody 
lived  there  ;  it  was  just  a  pen  that  had  been  built  to 
put  cattle  in  when  hunters  were  gathering  to  brand, 
or  drive.  We  all  slept  round  the  pen  with  a  horse 
apiece  saddled  and  bridled,  where  we  could  jump  on 
them  in  a  minute  if  they  tried  to  break  the  pen,  and 
kept  one  man  on  guard  all  the  time  to  watch  them, 
but  they  were  still  enough  all  night. 

The  next  night  we  had  to  stand  guard  round  the 
cattle  because  there  wasn't  any  pen.  About  sundown 
we  rounded  them  up  pretty  close  together,  and  put 
four  men  round  them.  Capt.  Dick  told  the  guards 
not  to  take  stands,  but  to  ride  round  the  herd  all  the 
time,  one  behind  the  other,  at  equal  distances  apart, 
and  in  this  way  a  beef  could  not  slip  out  without 
some  one  seeing  it,  and  the  cattle  would  soon  get 
used  to  them  and  would  be  easier  to  manage.  Each 
relief  stood  three  hours.  I  was  on  the  second,  with 
Nasho  and  Nueces  Joe  and  three  Mexicans.  Next 
morning  about  sunup  the  cattle  were  let  out  to  graze, 
the  herders  keeping  round  them  so  they  couldn't 
scatter  too  much,  or  any  of  them  run  off,  and  the 
drivers  started  off  to  gather.  Capt.  Dick  took  Nasho 
with  him  that  day. 

That  evening  at  camp  Nasho  went  out  a  little  way 
to  see  about  one  of  his  horses,  and  came  back  with  an 
armadillo.  It  was  a  little  animal  not  quite  as  big  as  a 


I9O  LIVE    BOYS. 

possum,  but  covered  with  a  thick  shell  divided  into 
squares.  His  head  didn't  have  any,  but  his  tail  did  on 
the  upper  side.  Under  his  belly  his  shell  was  most  like 
a  turtle,  only  harder,  and  he  could  draw  his  head  in  his 
shell  like  a  turtle,  and  bring  the  shell  over  his  back  and 
the  one  under  his  belly  together,  and  he  looked  like 
a  curious  ball,  and  you  could  kick  him  round  without 
hurting  him.  One  of  the  boys  asked  Nasho  what  he 
was  going  to  do  with  him,  and  he  said. — 

"  Me  eat  him — he  heap  good." 

He  let  him  be  right  quiet  awhile  until  he  put  his 
head  out,  and  then  hit  him  a  quick  lick  on  the  nose 
and  killed  him  in  a  second.  Then  he  cut  him  open 
and  cleaned  him  and  put  him  in  the  fire  covered  up 
in  his  own  shell,  and  let  him  stay  about  an  hour  and 
a  half.  Nearly  all  of  us  tasted  a  little  of  it,  and  it  was 
real  good,  very  much  like  possum,  but  tenderer  and 
sweeter.  Capt.  Dick  always  carried  a  six-shooter,  but 
there  was  no  time  for  hunting,  or  even  shooting  deer 
when  we  saw  them. 

The  fourth  day  after  we  began  gathering  Capt. 
Dick  and  myself  had  ridden  off  to  a  little  bunch  of 
cattle  by  themselves.  There  wasn't  but  one  hoad  in 
it  that  we  wanted,  but  that  was  a  large,  fine  one,  and 
we  started  to  drive  him  toward  another  bunch  some 
of  the  other  hands  were  going  to  round.  He  wouldn't 
drive  a  bit,  but  would  dodge  and  turn  and  almost  run 
against  our  horses  when  we  tried  to  turn  him. 

"  Well,  old  fellow,  if  you  won't  stop,  there  is  a  way 
to  make  you,"  Capt.  Dick  said,  and  threw  his  rope  on 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        IQI 

him.  Then  he  got  mad  and  began  to  fight.  Capt. 
Dick  was  riding  a  pony  that  wasn't  very  strong  and 
didn't  understand  roping  well,  and  directly  he  got 
tangled  in  the  rope  and  when  the  beef  made  a  run,  he 
jerked  him  down,  and  he  fell  on  Capt.  Dick's  leg,  so 
he  couldn't  get  up.  The  beef  whirled  roand  and,  with 
his  head  down,  started  at  the  horse  as  hard  as  he 
could  go.  I  trembled  all  over,  because  I  was  too  far 
off  to  get  to  him  in  time  to  stop  him,  and  I  expected 
in  a  minute  to  see  him  run  his  horns  into  Capt  Dick. 
I  hollered  and  ran  towards  them  as  fast  as  I  could  go, 
but  Capt.  Dick  just  reached  round,  drew  his  six- 
shooter,  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  He  turned 
a  summerset  and  fell  so  close  to  them  that  his  heels 
were  almost  against  the  pony's  nose.  I  helped  Capt. 
Dick  up  by  pulling  the  pony  off  of  him,  and  he  fixed 
his  saddle  straight  again  and  we  rode  on  to  the  crowd. 
His  leg  was  a  little  stiff  that  evening,  but  he  rubbed 
it  well  with  suet  that  night,  and  was  ready  for  work 
again  next  day. 

Gathering  cattle  is  the  hardest  work  the  cow-boy 
has  to  do,  except  branding ;  but  it  is  a  great  deal  hard- 
er in  the  mountains  than  on  the  prairie,  because  the 
ground  is  so  rough  and  rocky,  and  there  are  so  many 
rough  trees  and  bushes  that  brush  and  scratch  one  so 
in  getting  through  them.  A  cow-boy  has  to  go  wher- 
ever the  cattle  do.  Sometimes  when  they  get  into  a 
thicket  one  or  two  have  to  get  down  and  leave  their 
horses,  and  go  in  a-foot  and  run  them  out,  and  then 
go  back,  catch  their  horses  and  run  as  hard  as  they 


IQ2  LIVE    BOYS. 

can  go  to  catch  up  again.  A  pony  ought  to  be  trained 
so  you  can  get  down  and  leave  him  anywhere  and  he 
won't  run  off ;  but  most  of  them  are  tricky,  and  will 
•leave  you  sometimes.  A  good  cow-pony  will  follow 
cattle  wherever  they  go,  twisting  and  turning  to  keep 
up  with  their  dodges  without  being  guided  at  all. 

Up  in  the  mountains  the  cow-hunters  have  to  look 
out  for  Indians  too.  One  night  in  Llano  County 
some  Indians  slipped  up  and  stole  all  the  horses  of 
some  cow-hunters,  and  they  had  to  walk  to  the  near- 
est settlement  and  carry  their  saddles.  Mr.  Hanscom 
was  out  cow-hunting  one  day  by  himself  and  saw 
several  men  in  blue  Yankee  overcoats  riding  about. 
He  thought  they  were  soldiers,  but  directly  they  got 
around  him  and  he  saw  they  were  Indians  ;  but  his 
horse  outran  them  and  he  got  away. 

In  a  week  we  had  gathered  about  fifteen  hundred 
head,  which  was  as  many  as  Capt.  Dick  wanted,  so  we 
was  ready  to  start  back.  First,  though,  we  had  to 
cut  out  the  cattle  we  didn't  want,  beeves  in  other 
brands,  and  cows  and  young  cattle. 

"  I  thought  you  said,  Charley,  that  you  let  them  get 
away  in  first  rounding  up." 

"  So  we  did,  whenever  we  could,  but  sometimes 
some  of  them  wouldn't  try  to  get  out,  and  we  wouldn't 
ride  into  the  bunch  to  get  them  out,  because  that 
makes  the  cattle  wild  and  hard  to  hold." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  holding  cattle  ?  " 

Keeping  them  close  together,  and  not  letting  any 
get  away.  I  tell  you  it's  hard  to  do  sometimes,  be- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       193 

cause  a  half  a  dozen  will  be  trying  to  get  away  at  the 
same  time,  and  all  going  different  ways,  and  you  have 
to  keep  running  your  horse  as  hard  as  he  can  go  first 
after  one  and  then  another  to  keep  them  in.  It  ain't 
half  as  hard  in  the  prairie  as  it  is  in  the  brush. 

There  are  two  ways  to  cut  cattle  out  of  a  herd.  One 
is  to  round  the  herd  up  and  let  several  good  hands  go 
in  and  pick  out  the  cattle  they  don't  want,  and  work 
them  out  one  at  a  time,  or  two  or  three  if  they  can 
get  them  together.  By  being  easy  they  can  generally 
work  one  out  close  to  the  edge  of  the  herd,  and  then 
by  dashing  at  him  right  quick  run  him  out  and  away 
before  he  knows  what  they  are  after.  The  easier 
they  can  do  it  the  better,  because  if  they  run  in  the 
herd  much  it  makes  the  cattle  wild  and  hard  to  man- 
age. 

The  other  way,  and  the  best  one,  is  when  the  cattle 
are  grazing  for  several  good  hands  to  go  in  and  work 
out  what  they  don't  want.  The  cattle  are  scattered 
then  and  busy  feeding,  and  don't  notice  the  riders 
much,  and  you  don't  have  to  run  your  horse  much  to 
get  them  out. 

The  day  that  we  started  back  to  the  ranch  at  dinner, 
Capt.  Dick,  and  me  and  Nasho  and  one  other  hand, 
went  into  the  herd  while  they  were  feeding,  and  cut 
out  about  a  hundred  head.  There  was  one  big  fellow 
we  had  to  rope  and  lead  out,  and  tie  down  to  get  the 
ropes  off.  When  he  got  up  he  took  after  Nasho  and 
ran  him  about  three  hundred  yards,  but  Nasho's  horse 
was  fast  enough  to  keep  out  of  the  way. 


194  LIVE    BOYS. 

That  night  we  killed  a  maverick  for  fresh  meat. 

"  What  is  a  maverick,  Charlie  ?  " 

A  yearling  or  big  calf  that  ain't  either  marked  01 
branded.  They  have  'most  always  quit  following  their 
mothers,  and  nobody  can  tell  who  they  belong  to,  so 
whenever  cow-hunters  want  fresh  meat  they  kill  a 
maverick. 

We  got  back  to  the  ranch  in  ten  days  and  had  splen- 
did luck.  The  weather  was  good  and  we  didn't  have 
a  stampede,  or  lose  a  single  head.  We  put  the  cat- 
tle in  the  big  pasture,  with  about  five  hundred  more 
that  Capt.  Dick  was  going  to  drive,  and  kept  four 
hands  with  them  to  keep  them  together  and  get  them 
used  to  being  under  herd  before  starting.  Then  we 
had  a  week's  hard  work  road-branding.  Col.  Hunt's 
road  brand  was  S.  We  got  through  Saturday  night, 
and  Monday  morning  we  were  to  start. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    START.  THE     LIFE    OF     THE    DROVER. WHIST- 
LING   BILL    NAMES    THE    HANDS. 

OUNDAY  was  a  general  getting-ready  day.  Some 
**-s  had  washing  to  be  done,  and  orhers  saddle-rig- 
ging to  be  fixed  and  bridles  to  be  mended,  and  there 
were  horses  to  be  got  up  out  of  the  big  pasture,  and 
the  wagon  to  be  loaded  with  the  provisions,  and  two 
of  the  hands  that  lived  a  few  miles  off  went  home 
to  spend  the  day. 

Monday  morning  early  the  gate  of  the  big  pasture 
was  opened  and  some  of  the  ranch  hands  turned  the 
herd  out.  It  wasn't  opened  wide — just  so  that  only 
two  or  three  could  come  out  at  once,  and  Capt.  Dick 
and  Col.  Hunt's  head  boss  sat  on  their  horses  on  each 
side  of  the  gate  and  counted  the  cattle  as  they  came 
through.  They  kept  one  hand  inside  to  hold  them 
up  a  little  when  they  crowded  too  much.  They  both 
made  two  thousand  and  eleven  head.  As  the  beeves 
came  through  they  would  trot  off  pretty  lively,  but  the 
hands  kept  about  them  and  didn't  let  them  go  ahead 
until  they  was  all  out.  They  kept  hollering  and 
singing  to  them  to  keep  them  quiet,  for  they  were 


196  LIVE    BOY?. 

restless  and  wanted  to  keep  moving,  as  cattle  'most 
always  are  when  they  are  turned  out  of  a  pen.  When 
they  was  all  out  we  let  them  string  out  and  take  the 
direction  of  the  Trail.  They  were  a  good  deal  of 
trouble,  because  some  of  them  wanted  to  stop  all  the 
time  and  feed,  and  some  wanted  to  go  ahead  too  fast, 
and  some  was  lazy  and  had  to  be  pushed  up  all  the 
time  to  make  them  keep  up  with  the  rest  of  the  herd. 

About  twelve  o'clock  we  stopped  to  let  them  feed, 
but  we  didn't  get  to  rest  much,  because  they  wasn't 
used  to  being  herded  and  wanted  to  scatter  too  much, 
and  we  had  to  keep  riding  all  the  time  to  keep  them 
together.  When  cattle  first  start  they  don't  like  to 
feed  so  close  to  each  other,  but  they  get  over  that 
pretty  soon.  The  wagon  had  kept  up  with  us,  and 
by  two  at  a  time  we  went  to  it  to  get  dinner.  Capt. 
Dick  and  Highover  and  whistling  Bill  didn't  stop  to 
get  dinner,  but  just  drank  a  cup  of  coffee  and  took 
some  meat  and  bread  in  their  hands  and  rode  off 
again.  Me  and  Nasho  did  that  way  too. 

About  half-past  one  we  started  again.  They  didn't 
know  which  way  to  go,  and  it  took  some  time  to  get 
them  strung  out  the  right  way,  but  when  a  few  moved 
off  right  the  rest  soon  followed.  Some  bosses  always 
have  one  man  to  go  ahead  as  a  leader,  and  the  cattle 
soon  learn  to  follow  him,  but  Capt.  Dick  said  that  was 
just  throwing  one  hand  away,  for  they  would  learn 
themselves  which  way  to  go  in  two  or  three  days. 

When  the  sun  was  about  an  hour  high  we  stopped 
again  and  let  the  cattle  feed  until  sundown.  Capt. 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  \<tf 

Dick  showed  the  wagon  where  to  stop,  and  sent  me 
and  Nasho  to  drive  the  loose  horses  to  it.  They  had 
been  in  the  herd  all  day,  'most  always  back  at  the  tail 
end  of  it,  for  they  kept  stopping  to  pick  grass.  They 
all  kept  together  very  well,  and  hadn't  made  us  any 
trouble  about  driving.  When  we  brought  them  up  to 
the  wagon  Capt.  Dick  and  Mose  Baker  had  tied  long 
ropes  to  the  hind  wheels  and  each  of  them  went  out 
as  far  as  the  ropes  would  go,  and  stretched  them  out 
straight  about  as  high  as  a  man's  waist,  making  a  sort 
of  pen  with  them  and  the  wagon.  We  drove  them 
into  it,  and  I  jumped  down  and  went  in  to  catch  them 
while  Nasho  minded  the  open  end  to  keep  them  from 
getting  out.  Capt.  Dick  and  Mose  Baker  came  closer 
together  and  held  their  ropes  tight,  and  the  horses 
didn't  try  much  to  get  away.  I  took  ropes  in  with 
me,  and  as  fast  as  I  caught  two  I  took  them  out  and 
tied  them  to  the  wagon  wheels.  When  I  had  enough 
for  every  man  to  have  a  change  I  took  neck  ropes  and 
necked  some  of  them  together  two  and  two,  and  hob- 
bled those  that  had  hobbles  on  their  necks.  There 
were  two  mean  ones  that  didn't  have  any  hobbles,  and 
Capt.  Dick  made  the  cook  get  him  a  piece  of  new 
rope  out  of  the  wagon  and  cut  off  about  three  feet  of 
it  and  untwisted  it  and  made  a  hobble  for  them.  We 
necked  them  together  and  hobbled  one  besides.  I 
necked  mine  and  Nasho's  together  two  and  two  and 
let  them  loose,  for  they  were  used  to  camp  and  we 
wasn't  afraid  of  their  running  away. 

As  soon  as  I  had  got  through  with  the  others  all  of 


1 98  LIVE    BOYS. 

us  that  was  at  the  wagon  unsaddled  the  horses  we  had 
been  riding  and  turned  them  loose  or  hobbled  them, 
and  saddled  fresh  ones.  Capt.  Dick  took  Beelzebub 
and  I  saddled  Comanche,  for  I  intended  to  ride  him  at 
night,  because  he  was  the  fastest  horse  I  had  and 
everybody  wants  his  best  if  there  is  a  stampede. 
Then  we  rode  out  to  the  herd  and  Capt.  Dick  sent 
the  other  hands  in  three  at  a  time  to  change  their 
horses  and  get  supper. 

"  What  did  you  do  with  the  loose  horses  at  night, 
Charley  ? " 

We  let  them  feed.  That  is  the  best  time  for  them 
to  graze,  for  the  horses  that  are  ridden  during  the  day 
don't  get  much  chance  to  eat,  and  would  get  poor  if 
they  couldn't  feed  at  night. 

"  But  won't  they  run  off  ?  " 

No,  sir  ;  they  ain't  apt  to.  Whistling  Bill  had  an 
old  gotch-eared,  flea-bitten  gray  horse  that  was  a  good 
camp  horse,  and  we  put  a  bell  on  him  at  night,  and 
the  rest  soon  learned  to  stay  with  him.  We  could  al- 
ways tell  by  the  bell  where  they  were,  and  if  they  was 
getting  off  too  far  a  hand  would  be  sent  to  drive  them 
back  closer.  It  is  always  the  business  of  the  guard 
that  is  on  herd  at  night  to  keep  a  look  out  for  the 
horses  too,  and  not  let  them  stray  off.  They  ain't  apt 
to  try  unless  the  grass  is  very  poor,  or  they  are 
thirsty.  Old  Gray  was  one  of  the  best  camp  horses 
we  had.  Whistling  Bill  said  he  was  the  "  Old  Gray 
Horse  that  came  a  tearing  out  of  the  wilderness,  and 
he  was  so  glad  to  get  into  a  prairie  again,  that  there 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.        199 

wasn't  any  danger  of  his  taking  to  the  woods  any 
more." 

About  sundown  we  began  rounding  up  the  herd  for 
the  night.  As  soon  as  we  got  them  close  together 
and  they  were  still,  Capt.  Dick  sent  High  over  and 
Whistling  Bill  and  one  of  the  negroes  to  the  wagon 
to  get  their  supper.  There  was  three  hands  already 
thsre.  As  soon  as  they  got  through  they  came  back, 
and  we  who  had  been  herding  went  to  get  ours.  As 
it  was  the  first  night,  Capt.  Dick  said  he  would  have 
to  keep  half  of  the  hands  on  guard  at  a  time,  until 
the  cattle  got  more  used  to  being  kept  so  close  to- 
gether. As  we  were  going  to  have  the  first  waich  we 
didn't  make  down  our  pallets,  but  just  got  out  our 
blankets  and  put  them  where  we  could  get  at  them 
easy  when  we  came  off  watch.  Then  we  went  back 
to  the  herd  and  let  those  that  was  herding  go  to  the 
wagon  to  sleep  until  half-past  twelve. 

It  was  moonlight  and  no  trouble  to  see  the  cattle, 
and  no  trees  or  bushes  in  the  way,  and  we  just  kept 
riding  around  them,  and  driving  back  any  that  tried 
to  stray  out.  They  flurried  once  or  twice  while  we 
were  on  guard,  but  didn't  try  to  run,  and  at  half-past 
twelve  Capt.  Dick  rode  to  the  wagon  and  waked  up 
the  second  relief,  and  when  they  came  out  we  went 
to  the  wagon  and  laid  down.  We  didn't  undress  at 
all,  but  just  lay  down  on  our  blankets,  and  tied  our 
horses  to  the  wagon  wheels  so  we  could  jump  on  them 
in  a  minute  if  the  beeves  ran. 

At   the  first  peep  of  day,  Capt.  Dick  sent  me  and 


20O  LIVE   BOYS. 

Nasho  out  again  to  drive  up  the  loose  horses.  We 
caught  them  just  like  the  night  before,  and  tied  up 
those  that  would  be  wanted  and  turned  the  ones  we 
had  rode  at  night  loose  to  feed.  By  the  time  we  got 
through  this  the  cook  had  breakfast  ready,  and  we  ate 
and  went  out  to  the  herd,  and  let  the  other  watch 
come  to  breakfast  and  change  their  horses.  The  cat- 
tle had  already  been  turned  loose  to  feed,  and  we  had  to 
keep  riding  pretty  steady  to  keep  them  from  scatter- 
ing too  much.  About  nine  o'clock  we  started  again, 
and  about  twelve  came  to  a  creek  where  we  stopped 
to  water  and  let  them  feed,  and  get  our  dinners.  That 
evening  we  got  to  the  road  and  camped  on  it  that 
night.  We  made  about  twelve  miles  that  day. 
"  How  many  hands  did  you  have,  Charley  ?  " 
There  were  twelve  besides  the  cook.  Drovers  gen- 
erally allow  about  six  hands  to  the  thousand  head. 
The  cook  don't  herd  or  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the 
cattle,  but  drives  the  wagon  and  does  the  cooking. 
As  quick  as  the  herd  stops  at  night,  the  boss  shows 
him  where  to  camp,  and  he  unharnesses  the  mules 
and  begins  to  get  supper.  When  that  is  over  and 
his  dishes  are  washed  up,  he  can  lie  down  and  sleep, 
and  don't  have  to  get  up  in  the  night,  but  at  the  first 
crack  of  day  he  has  to  get  up  and  make  his  fire  and 
get  breakfast.  The  mules  are  driven  up  with  the 
loose  horses  and  tied  for  him,  and  as  soon  as  the  last 
hands  have  eaten  breakfast,  he  harnesses  up  and 
starts  behind  the  herd.  If  the  country  is  prairie  and 
there  is  very  little  wood,  he  haj  to  stop  wuenever  he 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       2OI 

comes  to  wood  and  put  enough  into  the  wagon  to  last 
to  the  next  wood,  and  hs  has  a  ten-gallon  keg  that  he 
keeps  water  in  for  the  hands  to  drink,  and  to  cook  with. 
Very  often  we  made  dry  camps  ;  that  is,  we  camped 
where  there  was  no  water.  If  the  cattle  and  horses 
were  watered  along  in  the  evening  they  didn't  need 
any  more,  and  the  grass  was  often  better  away  from 
the  creeks 'and  branches.  The  cook  don't  have  such 
an  easy  time  if  he  don't  have  to  stand  guard  at  night, 
because  he  has  to  be  up  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  it  keeps  him  busy  to  get  enough  cooked  for  the 
hungry  hands. 

"  What  provisions  did  you  have  ?  " 

We  had  corn  meal  and  flour,  and  bacon  and  coffee, 
and  sugar,  and  rice,  and  molasses  and  dried  fruit,  and, 
when  we  could  get  them,  Irish  potatoes  and  onions. 
There  are  stores  all  along  the  Trail  that  keep  just 
what  drovers  want,  and  Capt.  Dick  bought  what  he 
needed  at  the  towns  we  went  by  so  as  not  to  have  so 
much  to  haul  at  once.  We  had  fresh  beef  most  of 
the  time.  There  were  herds  ahead  of  us  of  mixed 
cattle,  and  every  two  or  three  days  a  stray  yearling 
from  some  other  herd  would  get  into  ours,  and  when 
we  wanted  fresh  meat  we  would  kill  one.  All  the 
herds  do  this.  Sometimes  we  would  pick  up  a  bunch 
of  five  or  ten  at  a  time  that  had  strayed  out  in  the 
night,  or  got  away  in  a  stampede.  We  would  always 
put  them  in  the  herd  and  drive  them  on,  and  then 
when  we  got  to  Kansas  the  owner  could  come  and  get 


202  LIVE    BOYS. 

Capt.  Dick  was  our  boss,  and  a  good  one  too.  It 
is  the  business  of  the  boss  to  take  charge  of  the  herds, 
and  divide  out  the  watches,  and  pick  the  camps,  and 
have  control  of  every  thing  just  like  the  owner  would 
if  he  was  along.  He  ought  to  know  all  about  ho\v  to 
manage  cattle,  and  the  best  way  to  drive  them. 
Some  bosses  start  the  herd  on  the  Trail  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning,  and  then  stop  about  nine  o'clock  and 
let  them  feed  until  about  two,  and  some  start  about 
nine  o'clock  and  don't  make  but  one  drive  a  clay. 
Most  of  them  though  make  two.  Fifteen  miles  a  day 
is  a  pretty  fair  drive,  because  it  won't  do  to  hurry 
cattle  ;  they  would  get  poor  on  the  road.  lUrvp.s 
can  travel  faster  than  mixed  cattle. 

"  Well,  there  were  Capt.  Dick  and  you  and  Nasho; 
what  other  hands  did  your  herd  have,  Charley  ?  " 

There  was  Mose  Baker  —  'most  every  body  wnen 
they  wanted  to  speak  to  him  would  begin  —  Mr.  B-a- 
ba-kr,  Bakery  ? "  and  Black  Jack,  he  was  the  one  that 
always  looked  so  rough  and  dirty.  Whistling  Bill 
said  he  hadn't  washed  his  face  since  the  time  he  got 
caught  in  the  night  by  a  rise  in  the  creek,  and  lost 
his  saddle  and  blankets,  and  had  to  swim  out.  No- 
body liked  Black  Jack  much  because  he  was  so  crusty, 
and  never  seemed  to  feel  pleasant  toward  anybody. 
I  don't  know  what  Highover's  name  was.  They  called 
him  Highover  because  two  men  found  him  on  the 
prairie  once  stretched  out  where  his  horse  had  fallen 
down  with  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  much  hurt, 
and  he  said  "  No,  but  he  had  got  the  avvfulcst  high- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       203 

overest  fall  ever  they  saw.''  He  was  hurt  so  bad  they 
had  to  carry  him  home,  and  it  was  a  month  before  he 
could  get  on  a  horse  again.  He  was  a  first-rate  hand, 
but  nobody  liked  him.  Capt.  Dick  used  to  leave  him  in 
charge  of  the  herd  nearly  always  if  he  had  to  go  ahead 
for  any  thing.or  to  some  place  to  buy  provisions,  but  no- 
body seemed  like  talking  much  when  he  was  in  camp. 
There  were  twr  negro  men  named  Scip  and  Hanni- 
bal, but  the  second  night  out  Whistling  Bill  said  he 
was  going  tr  do  like  Adam  in  the  garden  —  he  was 
going  to  call  up  the  two-legged  live  stock  of  that  herd 
and  name  them.  He  said  them  darkey's  names  had 
to  be  changed,  for  he  wasn't  going  to  have  any  fight- 
ing on  the  road  except  what  he  did  himself,  and  they'd 
be  sure  to  fight  if  they  kept  their  names,  so  he  called 
Hannibal  Gen.  Foot,  because  he  had  such  a  long  foot. 
He  said  his  arithmetic  said  three  feet  made  a  yard, 
but  three  of  that  nigger's  feet  would  come  nearer 
making  a  mile  and  two  or  three  barrels  of  beef  thrown 
in.  One  of  the  Mexicans  was  named  Manuel,  and  he 
called  him  Wellman,  and  Antoino  he  nicknamed  Aunt 
Tony.  Another  was  named  Jesus.  He  was  in  camp 
at  the  time,  and  Whistling  Bill  made  Nasho  tell  him 
in  Mexican  that  among  the  Americans  it  was  a  sin  to 
call  anybody  Jesus,  and  they  would  have  to  give  him 
another  name,  that  they  would  call  him  Senor  Schez- 
eredicks.  He  said  that  was  a  big  name  among  the 
Americans.  The  Mexican  laughed  when  he  heard  his 
new  name,  but  didn't  say  any  thing.  Whistling  Bill 
called  me  Carley,  like  Nasho  does,  but  he  said  he 


204  LIVE    BOYS. 

couldn't  make  Nasho's  name  any  better  if  he  tried,  so 
he  would  let  him  go.  They  all  called  each  other  by 
their  nicknames  so  much  that  anybody  might  have 
been  in  camp  a  month  without  knowing  what  a  man's 
real  name  was. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CROSSING   THE     GUADALUPE    RIVER.  —  DRIVE    TO   AUS- 
TIN.   A    LOOK    AT    THE    STATE    HOUSE. 

THE  second  night  we  had  to  stand  guard  again 
half  the  night,  but  the  third  one  we  had  three 
watches  with  four  men  in  each,  and  got  to  sleep  more. 
I  was  glad  of  that,  for  the  second  day,  before  we 
stopped  for  dinner,  I  was  so  tired  and  sleepy  I  could 
scarcely  sit  on  my  horse  or  keep  my  eyes  open.  I 
went  to  sleep  a  dozen  times  riding  along,  and  could 
hardly  see  the  cattle  right  under  my  eyes. 

Capt.  Dick  put  Highover,  and  Mose  Baker,  and 
Scip  and  Wellman  on  the  first  watch,  and  Whistling 
Bill,  and  Black  Jack,  and  Aunt  Tony  and  Gen.  Foot 
on  the  second,  and  took  the  third  with  me  and 
Nasho  and  Sefior  Schezeredick. 

We  didn't  have  any  trouble  till  we  got  to  the  Gua- 
dalupe  river.  We  had  to  drive  through  the  river  bot- 
tom apiece,  and  had  to  watch  the  cattle  close  to  keep 
from  leaving  any  of  them  in  the  bushes.  At  the 
crossing  place  the  bank  had  been  beat  down  by  so 
manv  cattle  crossing  before  that  they  could  get  down 
to  the  water  easy,  but  they  wouldn't  go  in.  Some  of 


206  LIVE    BOYS. 

them  would  stand  in  water  half  way  up  to  their  sides, 
and  now  and  then  when  they  would  get  to  turning 
around  some  of  them  would  get  into  swimming  water, 
but  they  wouldn't  strike  out  for  the  other  bank.  We 
would  crowd  them  as  close  as  we  could,  and  holler  at 
them  and  throw  sticks,  but  we  couldn't  crowd  them 
in.  We  worked  at  them  two  hours.  Some  got  down 
and  tried  it  afoot.  Every  now  and  then  some  of  them 
would  break  out  and  run  off  through  the  bottom,  but 
somebody  would  be  after  them  in  a  minute  and  bring 
them  back.  At  last  we  got  them  as  close  together  as 
they  could  be  and  kept  pressing  in  on  them,  and 
crowding  them  closer  until  some  of  the  front  ones  got 
pushed  off  into  swimming  water,  and  in  a  minute 
there,  were  two  hundred  of  them  heading  for  the  other 
bank.  As  soon  as  they  were  fairly  started,  Nasho 
and  Senor  Schezeredicks  started  in  a  little  above 
them  and  swum  their  horses  across,  so  as  to  gather 
them  up  on  the  other  side,  and  keep  them  from  stray- 
ing off.  There  were  some  boys  on  the  other  side 
with  a  little  boat,  and  they  came  over  and  Capt.  Dick 
and  WhistlinglBill  and  one  of  the  Mexicans  got  in  and 
pulled  over,  holding  their  horses  by  the  bridle  reins. 
The  other  hands  crossed  the  same  way.  The  wagon 
went  round  to  a  bridge  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below. 
As  soon  as  all  the  hands  were  over  we  drove  the  herd 
round  the  town  on  to  the  prairie,  about  two  miles  the 
other  side,  and  stopped  for  dinner.  Capt.  Dick  told 
Nasho  and  Senor  Schezeredicks  to  make  a  fire  and 
dry  themselves.  He  went  to  town  to  buy  some  things 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2O/ 

we  wanted,  and  when  he  came  back  he  gave  them  a 
dram  of  whiskey  to  keep  them  from  catching  cold. 

We  didn't  go  but  three  or  four  miles  further  that 
day,  because  there  was  a  belt  of  timber  ahead  of  us 
about  fifteen  miles  through,  and  it  would  take  all  day 
to  drive  through  it. 

"  Why  couldn't  you  camp  in  the  timber,  Charley  ?  " 

Because  it  is  so  much  harder  to  h~rd  cattle  in 
woods.  You  can't  see  them  like  you  can  on  the  prai- 
rie, and  some  of  them  will  slip  off  and  get  away. 
They  are  more  apt  to  stampede  in  the  timber.  If  an 
old  dead  limb  were  to  fall  it  might  start  them  to  run- 
ning, and  it's  a  heap  more  dangerous  running  them  in 
the  woods  at  night,  because  you  cannot  see  the  limbs 
and  bushes,  and  dead  trees,  and  a  horse  is  more  cer- 
tain to  fall  down  or  run  against  a  tree. 

We  started  early  the  next  morning  and  by  driving 
hard  all  day,  except  about  an  hour  at  dinner,  we  got 
through  to  the  prairie  again.  But  I  tell  you  it  was 
hard  work.  In  some  places  the  young  postoaks  and 
hickories  were  so  close  you  could  hardly,  get  through, 
and  they  rubbed  and  scratched  our  necks  and  arms 
and  legs,  in  crowding  by  them.  And  the  cattle  would 
keep  stopping  to  pick  the  young  buds  and  leaves 
that  were  coming  out,  and  straying  out  to  one  side, 
and  kept  us  dodging  backward  and  forward  and  run- 
ning and  hollering  all  day.  I  was  so  hoarse  that 
night  I  could  hardly  speak,  and  my  arm  was  -so  tired 
swinging  my  rope  to  drive  them  along  with  I  could 
scarcely  raise  it.  I  was  glad  I  wasn't  on  first  watch. 


2O8  LIVE    BOYS. 

"  Why  don't  you  use  whips  to  drive  with  ? " 

Because  the  noise  they  make  cracking  might  stam- 
pede the  herd.  Some  of  the  hands  got  long  sticks, 
and  some  took  their  quirts  or  ropes.  I  let  about  ten 
feet  of  my  rope  hang  with  a  hard  knot  in  the  end, 
and  when  I  wanted  to  make  one  move  I  would  give 
the  rope  a  jerk  so  the  knot  would  hit  him,  and  he 
would  move  quick.  It  hurts  them  worse  than  a  lick 
with  a  stick,  and  you  can  ride  up  behind  one  easy  and 
jerk  him  a  hard  rap  before  he  knows  it  is  coming. 

One  day's  work  like  that  is  harder  than  three  day's 
driving  on  the  prairie. 

About  sixty  miles  from  the  Guadalupe  we  came  to 
the  Colorado  River,  but  we  didn't  have  much  trouble 
crossing  that  because  the  river  was  shallow  a  good  way 
out,  and  the  cattle  got  into  swimming  water  before  they 
knew  it.  There  was  a  ferry-boat  close  by,  and  the 
hands  crossed  on  that.  Two  of  them  had  gone  over 
on  it  before  the  cattle  was  put  in  the  river.  When  we 
got  most  to  the  railroad  track  a  train  come  along,  and 
the  cattle  got  scared  and  whirled  back,  and  milled  for 
half  an  hour  before  we  could  get  them  started  again. 

"  What  is  milling,  Charley  ?  " 

It's  turning  round  and  round.  They  crowd  as  close 
together  as  they  can  and  hold  their  heads  up,  and 
just  keep  going  round  and  round.  They  are  so  close 
together  you  could  walk  on  their  backs  easy,  and 
their  horns  look  like  a  piece  of  brushwood.  It's  the 
hardest  kind  of  work  sometimes  to  get  them  started 
when  they  get  to  milling.  You  can  ride  in  among  them 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2CQ 

and  holler  as  much  as  you  please,  but  they  just  keep 
turning  round,  each  one  following  the  one  in  front  of 
him.  Sometimes  if  they  are  just  let  alone  they  will 
get  quiet  themselves  and  then  some  of  them  will  start 
off,  and  the  rest  will  follow.  The  horses  generally 
all  get  close  togetner  and  stand  perfectly  still.  They 
look  like  a  little  island,  with  the  cattle  moving  round 
them  all  the  time,  but  the  cattle  neyer  hurt  them. 

We  crossed  the  river  right  at  the  City  of  Austin. 
Austin  is  the  capital  of  Texas.  Capt.  Dick  took  me 
to  town  with  him,  and  I  went  up  to  the  Capitol.  It's 
the  biggest  house  I  ever  saw.  You  go  up  twenty 
or  thirty  long  stone  steps,  and  right  in  front  before 
the  doors  is  a  little  monument  to  the  men  that  fell  at 
the  Alamo.  It  is  made  of  rock  taken  from  the  old 
Alamo  fort,  and  has  the  names  of  all  the  men  that 
were  killed  there  on  its  sides.  Uncle  Charley's  name 
is  there  too,  though  two  or  three  of  the  letters  have 
got  broken  so  you  can  hardly  read  it.  It  is  painted  a 
sort  of  dark  green,  and  don't  look  much  like  rock, 
and  it  has  a  little  iron  picket  fence  around  it  to  keep 
it  from  getting  rubbed  and  the  edges  broken  by  peo- 
ple passing.  In  the  Capitol  there  were  some  pictures, 
one  of  them  was  Genl.  Sam.  Houston.  I  had  seen 
pictures  of  him  before,  and  knew  him  as  I  saw  it. 
He  was  the  first  President  of  Texas  when  she  was  a 
Republic.  Uncle  used  know  him  well.  He  hasn't 
been  dead  many  years.  I  didn't  have  time  to  stay  at 
the  Capitol  long.  Some  day  I  want  to  go  there  again 
and  take  a  good  look  at  the  rooms  and  pictures. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

LIFE  ON    THE    TRAIL. INTO    INDIAN    TERRITORY.  A 

BIG  STAMPEDE. 

TWO  or  three  trails  come  together  at  Austin  and 
make  a  big  one.  From  there  on  we  had  prairie 
almost  all  the  way.  There  wasn't  any  thhv;  particular 
happened  to  us  going  through  Texas.  We  had  some 
bad  weather,  and  several  times  the  cattle  flurried  a 
little,  but  we  had  first-rate  luck  and  not  much  trouble. 
There  was  a  big  red  steer  that  always  took  the  lead 
and  kept  it,  and  the  others  learned  to  follow  him.  As 
soon  as  the  head  was  started  he  would  strike  out 
north,  for  he  was  always  near  the  head  of  the  herd, 
and  if  he  didn't  happen  to  be  first  he  would  soon  get 
there,  for  he  was  the  fastest  walker  in  the  herd. 

After  we  left  Gonzales  the  country  was  nearly  all 
rolling,  and  we  always  rounded  up  at  night  on  top  of  a 
rise.  It's  more  level,  and  drier,  and  the  cattle  will  lie 
more  quietly,  and  it  is  easier  to  see  them.  If  they 
was  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  a  horse  would  be  more  apt 
to  stumble  down  hill,  and  that  might  scare  the  cattle. 
They  are  as  easily  frightened  as  mice.  I  believe  some- 
times one  of  them  dreams  and  jumps  in  his  dream  and 
scares  the  others.  I  was  watching  them  one  morning, 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        211 

just  as  day  was  beginning  to  break.  I  could  just  see 
them,  and  all  of  a  sudden  every  one  that  was  down 
was  up  and  ready  to  run,  but  I  couldn't  see  any  thing 
to  frighten  them.  It's  curious  how  what  frightens  one 
way  over  on  one  side  of  the  herd  will  run  clear  through 
it  and  scare  all,  though  the  rest  haven't  seen  it,  and 
don't  know  what  they  are  scared  at.  They  don't  scare 
that  way  in  the  daytime. 

I  liked  the  trip  first-rate.  Sometimes  when  I  would 
be  waked  up  to  go  on  guard,  I  would  be  so  sleepy  I 
could  hardly  see,  but  it  wouldn't  last  long,  and  I  would 
get  to  sleep  a  little  at  dinner  and  catch  up.  It  was 
right  hot  a  heap  of  times,  and  all  day  in  the  sun  with- 
out any  shade  except  the  shadow  of  the  wagon  at 
dinner,  or  maybe  when  the  cattle  were  lying  down  at 
dinner,  and  you  could  sit  down  in  the  shadow  of  your 
horse  and  watch  them.  The  country  was  a  good  deal 
alike,  and  the  Trail  kept  out  of  the  settlements  so  as 
not  to  be  bothered  by  the  cattle  breaking  into  any 
fields.  One  day  was  just  about  like  another.  Get  up 
in  the  morning,  catch  the  loose  horses,  get  breakfast, 
drive  and  herd  all  day,  except  an  hour  and  a  half  at 
dinner,  change  your  horse  again  at  night,  and  sleep 
and  stand  guard  of  nights.  We  didn't  get  to  see  much 
of  each  other,  because  in  the  daytime  we  were  scat- 
tered about  the  cattle,  and  at  dinner,  when  half  of  us 
were  together,  some  would  nearly  always  be  asleep 
when  they  wasn't  eating,  and  at  night  it  was  the  same 
way.  I  tell  you  driving  cattle  don't  give  a  man  much 
time  for  any  thing  else  if  he  sticks  to  them.  We  trav- 


212  LIVE    BOYS. 

elled  Sunday  just  the  same  as  any  other  day,  because 
it  was  just  about  as  much  work  to  herd  as  to  drive. 
Sometimes  a  beef  would  get  stuck  in  the  mud  and  two 
or  three  would  have  to  put  their  ropes  on  him  and 
drag  him  out  by  wrapping  the  ropes  round  the  horns 
of  their  saddles,  and  making  their  horses  pull.  A 
horse  can  pull  a  great  deal  that  way. 

We  crossed  the  Brazos  river  at  Fort  Graham,  but  it 
was  fordable.  We  lost  one  beef  there.  He  got  down 
too  low  into  swimming  water,  and  washed  against  a 
log  and  turned  over  in  the  water  and  strangled,  I 
reckon,  for  he  didn't  try  to  swim  afterwards. 

The  grass  was  better  and  better  as  we  went  farther, 
and  the  cattle  fattened  all  the  time.  Our  horses  held 
up  well  too.  Comanche  and  Monkey  got  fatter, 
though  I  rode  Monkey  every  other  day,  and  Milco 
every  night. 

Red  River  was  the  last  stream  in  Texas.  The  water 
of  Red  River  is  a  deep,  thick  red.  It  gets  colored  by 
the  kind  of  clay  it  flows  through  in  Indian  Nation.  It 
is  a  little  brackish,  and  not  good  to  drink,  but  there 
was  a  good  spring  close  by  where  we  got  plenty  of 
drinking  water.  The  cattle  seemed  like  they  couldn't 
get  enough  of  it.  There  was  a  high  bank  on  this  side 
without  any  timber,  but  on  the  other  it  was  low  and 
sandy,  and  there  were  a  few  cottonwoods  and  chick- 
asaw  plums  just  like  what  we  had  at  Uncle's.  It 
looked  curious  at  first  to  see  them  growing  out 
here  wild.  As  it  was  after  dinner  when  we  crossed 
Red  River,  we  made  a  dry  camp  that  night.  I  forgot 


CilARLLV    AND    NASHO    IX    TEXAS.  213 

to  tell  you  that  Red  River  is  the  boundary  between 
Texas  and  Indian  Territory,  and  when  we  got  over  we 
were  in  the  Nation.  The  country  was  all  prairie,  in 
great  long  swells.  It  would  be  from  two  to  three 
miles  from  the  top  of  one  swell  to  the  top  of  the  next. 
There  was  a  creek  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  right, 
and  we  drove  the  horses  there  and  watered  them. 
The  cattle  didn't  need  any  water. 

Indian  Territory  looked  a  good  deal  like  one  of  the 
pictures  of  it  in  my  geography.  The  grass  was  high 
and  thick  and  coarse,  and  there  was  hardly  any  tim- 
ber. There  is  plenty  though  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Nation,  where  the  Choctaws  and  Creeks  and  other 
tame  Indians  live.  You  know  Indian  Territory  was 
given  to  the  Indians  for  home,  and  a  great  many  of 
them  live  in  it.  The  part  where  we  were  going 
through  was  where  the  Comanches,  and  Keorias,  and 
Kickapoos  lived,  but  we  didn't  see  any  of  them.  They 
were  all  west  of  us.  They  don't  have  any  regular 
houses,  but  live  in  tents,  wandering  round  where  they 
can  find  game,  and  going  to  the  reservation  to  get 
their  rations  every  month.  Fort  Sell  was  the  place 
where  they  got  their  rations.  I  would  like  to  have 
gone  there  to  have  seen  some  of  the  Indians,  but  it 
would  have  taken  two  days  to  go  and  come,  and  I 
couldn't  leave  the  herd  that  long.  If  one  man  goes 
off  the  rest  have  to  do  his  work,  and  every  one  has 
enough  of  his  own  without  taking  part  of  somebody 
else's. 

We  didn't  see  any  roads  except  the  Trail.     That  is 


214  LIVE    DOVS. 

nearly  a  hundred  yards  wide,  a  great  big  plain  road 
with  little  paths  on  each  side  winding  in  and  out  and 
twisting  into  each  other,  and  little  lanes  of  grass  be- 
tween. The  grass  grows  fresh  and  high  right  up  to 
the  edge  of  the  Trail,  so  that  in  ten  steps  of  it  there 
was  good  grazing. 

There  was  a  heavy  thunder-storm  came  up  that  eve- 
ning about  sundown,  but  we  were  just  in  the  edge  of 
it  and  didn't  get  wet.  About  a  mile  ahead  of  us  there 
was  a  herd  camped,  and  another  behind  us.  The 
herds  don't  come  close  together  for  fear  the  cattle  will 
get  mixed. 

When  we  got  up  next  morning  it  was  showering  a 
little,  and  kept  it  up  all  day.  Sometimes  it  would  rain 
right  hard  for  a  little  while.  The  third  night  in  the 
Nation  we  camped  close  to  some  rocky  hills  with  piles 
of  rocks  on  top  here  and  there,  but  I  don't  know  who 
piled  them  up,  or  what  for.  The  Indians,  I  reckon,  for 
drovers  wouldn't  stop  for  that. 

It  had  been  showering  nearly  all  the  time  since  we 
crossed  Red  River,  and  the  ground  was  pretty  wet. 
It  wasn't  raining  when  we  lay  down,  but  looked  like  it 
would,  and  we  didn't  take  off  any  of  our  clothes,  but 
just  threw  down  a  blanket  and  lay  down.  Capt.  Dick 
held  his  horse  by  the  bridle  reins.  I  thought  we 
would  have  time  if  we  was  called,  and  tied  mine  to  the 
wagon  wheel. 

We  hadn't  been  asleep  but  two  or  three  hours  when 
Whistling  Bill  waked  us  up  and  said  he  thought  it  was 
going  to  storm,  and  we  had  better  come  out  to  the 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        215 

herd.  We  jumped  up  and  got  our  horses  and  started. 
Capt.  Dick  told  the  cook  to  be  sure  to  keep  the  lan- 
tern burning,  and  to  keep  the  fire  covered  up  with  the 
skillet  lids  so  the  boys  could  have  some  hot  coffee 
whenever  they  come  to  the  fire. 

"  What  was  the  lantern  for,  Charley  ?  " 
So  we  could  tell  where  the  wagon  was.  Whenever 
it  was  at  all  dark  a  lantern  was  always  kept  swinging 
from  the  front  bow  of  the  wagon,  so  we  could  tell  how 
to  find  the  way  to  it,  and  then  if  the  cattle  ran  we 
would  know  which  way  to  turn  them  back. 

It  was  so  dark  we  could  scarcely  see,  and  raining  a 
little  and  thundering.  The  cattle  looked  like  a  big 
dark  spot.  You  could  hardly  tell  the  white  ones,  it 
was  so  dark.  Directly  after  we  got  to  the  herd  it  com- 
menced raining  hard,  and  thundering  and  lightning 
terribly.  It  was  so  black  I  couldn't  see  my  hand  be- 
fore me,  or  my  horse.  I  tried  it  lots  of  times.  We 
had  to  be  very  careful  in  riding  about  the  cattle  not 
to  ride  so  close  as  to  make  any  of  them  move.  It  was 
raining  hard,  and  the  big  peals  of  thunder  would  seem 
like  they  shook  the  very  ground.  It  was  almost  like 
somebody  had  hit  you.  You  would  dodge  and  crush 
down  'a  the  saddle,  and  in  a  minute,  there  would 
come  another  one,  and  the  lightning  flashed  so  it  almost 
blinded  us.  One  second  you  could  see  the  herd,  and 
the  men  scattered  about  it,  some  riding,  but  most  of 
them  sitting  drawn  in  their  saddle  with  their  backs 
to  the  rain  the  best  they  could,  and  the  wagon,  and 
the  hills,  and  the  creek,  and  the  next  second  when 


2l6  LIVE    BOYS. 

you  opened  your  eyes  after  the  flash  it  would  be  as 
black  as  pitch,  an  1  by  the  time  you  could  begin  to  make 
out  the  herd  a  little  there  would  come  another.  The 
wind  was  from  the  south,  and  I  was  on  the  south  side 
of  the  herd.  The  cattle  all  had  their  heads  turned 
north.  All  of  a  sudden  it  whipped  round  and  blew 
harder  than  ever  from  the  north,  and  the  cattle  all 
turned  round  with  their  heads  to  the  south.  Whist- 
ling Bill  was  on  one  side  of  me,  and  one  of  the  Mexi- 
cans on  the  other.  Capt.  Dick  came  round  and  told 
us  to  keep  moving  in  front  of  the  cattle  and  singing 
and  hollering,  that  they  were  frightened  and  would 
run  unless  we  kept  up  a  noise.  Everybody  was 
singing  or  hollering,  but  you  couldn't  understand  what 
anybody  said.  The  cattle  all  had  their  heads  down 
close  to  the  ground,  and  their  eyes  looked  wild  and 
frightened.  When  a  flash  would  come  the  foremost 
ones  that  I  could  see  would  shut  their  eyes  and  turn 
their  heads,  as  if  it  hurt  them. 

It  kept  on  storming  for  about  three  hours,  and 
then  commenced  slacking  up.  It  wasn't  raining 
much,  and  the  lightning  didn't  come  so  fast,  or  the 
thunder,  and  it  wasn't  as  loud  either  as  before.  I 
was  tired,  but  I  hadn't  got  wet,  only  my  feet  a  little. 
I  had  my  soldier  coat  on,  and  that  kept  my  body  dry, 
and  myleggins  kept  my  legs  from  getting  wet.  When 
it  was  blowing  so  hard  the  rain-drops  stung  our  hands 
and  faces,  almost  like  we  had  been  hit  with  pebbles. 

But  the  wind  had  slacked  up  now  and  every  thing 
was  stiller.  The  hands  were  all  tired  and  had  quit 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2I/ 

singing  and  hollering,  and  were  gathered  about  the 
herd  two  or  three  together  for  company.  I  could  see 
that  by  the  lightning,  for  it  was  too  dark  to  see  any 
other  way.  Whistling  Bill  rode  up  to  me  and  said 
he  thought  the  storm  was  about  over  now,  and  we 
wouldn't  have  any  more  trouble  with  the  cattle,  but 
just  then  there  came  a  flash  that  blinded  us  and  a 
terrible  thunder-clap,  and  here  they  came.  It  sound- 
ed like  the  whole  herd  had  started  at  once.  They 
were  so  quick  that  they  were  almost  around  us  before 
our  horses  jumped  off.  We  were  separated  in  a  min- 
ute, running  to  keep  in  front  of  the  cattle,  and  hollering 
and  yelling  at  them  to  try  and  keep  them  back.  They 
wouldn't  stop  though,  and  I  kept  riding  in  front  of 
them  until  by  a  turn  I  got  out  of  sight  of  the  lantern. 
I  couldn't  see  the  ground,  but  I  knew  by  the  feeling 
of  my  horse  that  we  were  going  up  hill.  The  ground 
was  so  wet  that  my  horse  would  sink  'most  to  his 
knees  sometimes.  By  the  time  the  foremost  got  on 
top  of  the  hill  they  were  tired  enough  to  stop,  and 
they  had  got  scattered  a  good  deal  too,  and  they  never 
run  as  bad  when  they  get  scattered.  Each  one 
seems  to  keep  the  others  scared  when  they  are  to- 
gether. 

I  got  the  foremost  stopped,  and  began  riding  round 
in  the  dark  rounding  up  all  I  could  find,  and  driving 
them  together.  When  I  would  find  a  bunch  moving, 
I  would  ride  the  way  they  were  going  until  I  couldn't 
see  or  hear  any  more,  and  then  stop  and  turn  them 
back,  and  drive  them  to  the  others.  In  this  way  I 


2l8  LIVE    BOYS. 

got  together  a  pretty  good  bunch,  and  it  wasn't 
any  use  to  ride  off  far  because  I  couldn't  see  which 
way  to  go,  or  where  the  cattle  were  unless  I  got  right 
close  to  them,  and  I  might  lose  what  I  already  had, 
so  I  just  staid  with  them  until  they  began  to  lie  down. 
I  knew  then  there  wasn't  any  danger  of  their  moving 
away  until  daylight,  and  I  was  cold  and  thought  I 
would  try  and  find  my  way  to  the  wagon  and  get  a 
blanket,  and  come  back.  They  were  right  on  top  of 
a  hill,  and  the  wind  was  strong  enough  to  be  real 
chilly.  In  riding  about  I  came  to  the  Trail,  and  fol- 
lowed that  south  until  I  caught  sight  of  the  lantern, 
and  then  went  to  the  wagon.  I  found  two  other  hands 
there  that  had  come  in  to  get  coffee  and  blankets.  I 
just  took  a  cup  and  my  blanket  and  hurried  back,  and 
as  it  was  getting  lighter  found  my  bunch,  and  lay  down 
close  to  them  holding  Comanche  by  the  bridle  reins. 
The  ground  was  soaking  wet,  and  I  didn't  have  any 
pillow  but  my  arm,  so  you  may  know  I  didn't  have  a 
very  good  bed.  I  don't  think  I  slept  an  hour  when 
something  waked  me  up,  and  I  found  day  was  just 
breaking.  I  got  on  my  horse,  and  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  off  saw  another  bunch  of  cattle,  and  two  sad- 
dled horses,  and  when  I  got  to  them  I  found  it  was 
Whistling  Bill  and  Aunt  Tony.  They  were  lying 
down  asleep,  holding  their  bridle  reins.  I  woke  them 
up  and  we  drove  their  bunch  to  mine,  and  then  took 
them  all  to  the  bed-ground.  We  had  together  about 
five  hundred  head.  We  found  two  of  the  hands  at 
the  wagon  that  had  followed  a  bunch  until  they  stop- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2IQ 

ped,  and  then  left  them  and  come  to  the  wagon,  and 
hadn't  gone  back.  Whistling  Bill  started  right  away 
with  them  to  find  their  bunch,  and  left  me  and  Aunt 
Tony  to  herd  what  we  had.  There  were  a  few  strag- 
gling lots  in  sight,  about  a  hundred  in  all,  and  we  got 
them  together,  and  drove  the  horses  up  near  the 
wagon.  One  would  herd  while  the  other  ran  out  and 
drove  up.  The  bed-ground  looked  like  a  mortar  bed, 
it  was  all  trod  up  so. 

In  about  half  an  hour  Nasho  and  Senor  Schezere- 
dicks  came  up  with  about  two  hundred,  and  directly 
after  Highover  and  Gen.  Foote  brought  in  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  Black  Jack  and  Mose  Baker 
and  Whistling  Bill  came  back  with  three  hundred, 
and  Scip  came  in  by  himself  with  a  hundred,  so  that 
everybody  was  in  but  Capt.  Dick,  and  we  had  about 
thirteen  hundred  head,  and  were  out  about  seven  hun- 
dred. Scip  said  Capt.  Dick  had  been  with  him,  but 
had  sent  him  into  camp  and  told  him  to  tell  Highover 
to  take  charge  of  the  herd.  He  had  gone  to  two  other 
herds  to  see  if  any  of  our  cattle  had  got  into  theirs. 

We  caught  the  horses,  changed,  tied  up  one  for 
Capt.  Dick,  and  then  let  the  herd  leave  the  bed- 
ground.  Every  thing  was  wet,  and  we  knew  it  would 
take  the  cook  a  good  while  to  get  breakfast,  so  High- 
over  put  half  the  hands  on  herd,  and  sent  the  others 
out  to  follow  up  tracks  and  try  and  find  more  cattle. 
They  came  back  in  an  hour  with  a  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  got  breakfast  and  came  out  to  herd  while  we  ate. 
Highover  took  Wellman  with  him  and  started  off 


220  LIVE    BOYS. 

again  to  hunt  up  cattle.  While  we  were  eating  Capt. 
Dick  came  up  with  about  fifty  head.  That  made  fif- 
teen hundred,  and  we  were  still  out  five  hundred. 
Capt.  Dick  said  he  had  been  to  three  herds  near  us 
and  they  had  all  had  stampedes.  One  herd  of  three 
thousand  didn't  have  but  five  hundred  left,  and  an- 
other herd  of  a  thousand  had  next  morning  about 
twenty-five  hundred.  They  had  kept  their  own  cattle 
together,  and  part  of  the  big  herd  had  run  into  theirs. 
They  had  all  agreed  to  stay  there  that  day  and  hunt, 
and  take  up  any  cattle  of  each  other's  they  could  find, 
the  next  day  they  would  cut  out.  Capt.  Dick  said  he 
had  found  about  a  hundred  of  ours  in  another  herd, 
but  he  would  let  them  stay  there  until  to-morrow. 

As  quick  as  we  got  through  eating  Capt.  Dick  sent 
the  other  hands  to  the  herd  and  told  them  to  tell  Black 
Jack,  and  Mose  Baker,  and  Senor  Schezeredicks,  and 
Gen.  Foote,  to  stay  with  the  herd,  and  for  Whistling 
Bill  and  two  hands  to  hunt,  and  Highover  and  Well- 
man  to  keep  on  hunting.  He  said  he  knew  it  would 
be  hard  work  for  four  hands  to  herd,  but  he  wanted  to 
find  all  the  cattle  to-day,  and  get  away  from  there  for 
fear  we  should  have  another  storm  and  stampede,  for 
the  weather  wasn't  clearing  up  much. 

He  took  me  and  Nasho  and  started  off  hunting. 
There  were  cattle  tracks  going  'most  every  way,  but 
directly  we  struck  the  trail  of  a  good  big  bunch  and 
followed  it.  They  had  kept  it  right  straight  on  with- 
out stopping,  and  I  reckon  we  followed  them  six  miles 
before  we  came  up  with  them.  There  were  about 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  221 

three  hundred  head  scattered  about  feeding.  They 
were  ours.  I  tell  you  we  were  glad  to  see  them.  The 
country  we  had  ridden  over  was  very  rough  and 
broken,  full  of  great,  deep  gullies  in  the  red  clay  where 
you  could  have  hidden  a  house.  We  saw  a  good 
many  turkeys  and  deer,  and  one  bear  track.  It  must 
be  a  good  game  country  to  hunt  in.  Riding  was 
hard  work  on  our  horses,  and  us  too.  The  ground 
was  slippery,  and  the  gully  banks  hard  to  climb,  and 
every  little  branch  full,  and  sometimes  boggy.  Capt. 
Dick  said,  as  we  were  following  the  track  out,  that  at 
one  of  the  herds  some  of  the  hands  thought  the  In- 
dians had  stampeded  the  cattle,  for  we  were  in  the 
Comanche  reservation.  One  poor  fellow  got  separated 
from  the  rest  and  so  badly  scared  that  when  his  horse 
got  bogged  in  a  little  branch  he  just  left  him  and 
kept  on  afoot.  He  thought  the  Indians  had  shot  his 
horse  with  an  arrow,  and  were  after  him.  He  carried 
his  six-shooter  in  his  hand  all  the  time.  In  crossing 
a  branch  he  lost  it,  but  stopped  and  fished  it  out  again 
with  his  feet,  taking  his  shoes  off  so  he  could  feel  bet- 
ter for  it.  He  didn't  wait  to  put  them  on  again  but 
started  running,  and  thought  all  the  time  he  could 
hear  the  Indians  following  close  to  him.  At  last  he 
broke  plum  down  and  lay  down,  and  next  morning 
when  one  of  the  hands  found  him  in  sight  of  the 
wagon,  he  was  nearly  crazy  from  fright.  He  said  he 
had  seen  the  lantern  at  the  wagon,  but  thought  it  was 
the  Indians'  fire,  and  he  could  hardly  pursuade  the 
poor  fellow  to  go  with  him  to  the  wagon.  Capt. 


222  LIVE    BOYS. 

Dick  said  he  knew  the  Indians  didn't  have  any  thing 
to  do  with  it,  that  they  could  sweep  the  whole  Trail 
any  time  if  they  wanted  to,  for  there  wasn't  enough 
drovers  to  whip  them  off  and  watch  their  cattle  too, 
but  they  were  afraid  to  lest  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment should  get  after  them  about  it. 

I  thought  about  the  Indians  when  I  was  lying 
down  with  my  bunch  of  cattle,  but  I  didn't  believe 
they  were  about,  and  I  knew  if  they  wanted  to  they 
could  kill  us  all  any  time,  and  I  intended  to  stick  to 
the  cattle  till  I  saw  them  anyhow. 

We  got  back  with  our  bunch  about  two  o'clock,  and 
found  all  the  other  hands  there.  One  bunch  of  about 
fifty  had  come  back  themselves.  Highover  said  he 
had  counted  them  as  close  as  he  could,  and  he  didn't 
think  we  were  out  more  than  a  hundred.  As  quick 
as  we  got  some  dinner  we  went  to  the  herd,  and 
strung  them  out  so  we  could  count  them,  and  Capt. 
Dick  and  Highover  counted.  They  made  nineteen 
hundred  and  ten  head. 

Capt.  Dick  sent  the  wagon  on  about  two  miles  to  a 
better  camping  place,  out  of  the  low  grounds,  and  that 
evening  we  drove  the  herd  there.  The  moon  came 
out  pretty  that  evening,  and  we  was  glad  to  see  it,  for 
we  was  all  tired,  and  wanted  to  sleep  some  to  make  up 
for  what  we  had  lost.  After  the  herd  was  rounded  up 
Capt.  Dick  rode  over  to  the  herd  where  our  missing 
cattle  were,  and  they  agreed  if  he  would  come  back 
next  morning  before  they  let  the  herd  off  the  bed- 
ground,  they  would  hold  them  up  and  let  him  cut  out. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

RAINY     WEATHER.  TWENTY-FOUR     HOURS     WITHOUT 

FOOD  OR  SLEEP. A  TRADING-POST. A  PRAIRIE- 
DOG  TOWN.  EATING  DOG.  ALONE  IN  THE  PRA- 
IRIE. 

THE  next  morning  we  were  up  by  the  first  peep 
of  day,  and  before  sunup  drove  the  herd  over  in 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  herd  that  had  our  cattle. 
Capt.  Dick  took  me  and  Whistling  Bill  with  him  to 
cut  out.  It  was  hard  work,  because  the  ground  was 
so  wet  our  horses  kept  slipping,  and  we  were  afraid 
they  would  fall  down  with  us.  It  took  us  nearly  two 
hours  to  cut  out  all  our  cattle,  because  they  were  scat- 
tered all  through  the  herd.  While  we  were  cutting 
out,  two  hands  from  that  herd  rode  all  through  ours 
to  see  if  they  could  find  any  of  their  cattle  in  ours, 
but  they  didn't.  When  we  finished  cutting  out  we 
drove  back  near  the  wagon,  and  half  the  hands  herded 
while  the  other  half  ate  breakfast,  and  when  all  had 
eaten  we  took  the  Trail  again,  glad  to  get  away  from 
a  place  where  we  had  had  so  much  trouble.  We  was 
real  lucky,  though,  not  to  lose  any  cattle  in  such  a 


224  LIVE    BOYS. 

stampede.     The  herd  we  had  cut  out  from  had  two 
hundred  and  fifty  head  gone  when  we  left  them. 

That  night  was  drizzly  again,  and  the  wind  blew 
chilly.  I  was  in  front  of  the  cattle  with  my  back  to 
the  wind  listening,  for  it  was  dark,  and  I  couldn't  see, 
and  they  had  walked  off  from  the  bed-ground  when  it 
began  to  drizzle.  I  thought  the  wind  was  going  to 
change,  and  sure  enough  in  'most  a  second  it  turned 
right  round  and  began  blowing  the  other  way.  The 
cattle  all  turned  their  heads  and  started  off.  I  was 
afraid  to  start  behind  them  for  fear  I  might  ride  into 
them  without  knowing  it,  for  it  was  so  dark  I  couldn't 
see  any  thing,  and  waited  a  few  minutes  for  them  to 
get  on  a  little  and  then  started  to  ride  clear  round  and 
get  ahead  of  them  again.  Cattle  are  apt  to  get  scared 
if  you  come  riding  up  behind  them  in  the  dark  when 
they  can't  see.  But  somehow  I  got  turned  round  and 
couldn't  find  the  herd  at  all,  and  didn't  know  which 
way  to  go.  I  felt  pretty  sheepish  to  think  I  had  to 
let  a  whole  herd  walk  right  off  under  my  nose  and 
lose  them.  I  hollered  several  times  but  didn't  hear 
any  answer,  and  then  started  to  find  the  wagon,  think- 
ing maybe  I  would  find  somebody  there  that  could 
tell  me  where  they  was.  As  I  got  up  on  top  of  the 
hill  I  saw  the  lantern,  and  hadn't  been  at  the  wagon 
but  a  few  minutes  when  Mose  Baker  come  up  and 
said  he  had  lost  the  herd  too.  He  said  maybe  the 
herd  had  gone  back  to  the  bed-ground,  and  we  rode 
out  there  and  sure  enough  there  they  were.  The, 
hands  said  they  had  come  back  of  their  own  accord. 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS  225 

We  didn't  have  any  more  trouble  with  them  that 
night. 

Some  of  the  boys  laughed  at  me  a  good  deal  for 
losing  a  whole  herd,  and  said  I  must  have  been  asleep, 
but  Capt.  Dick  said  I  would  coma  out  all  right  yet ; 
that  he  lost  a  herd  himself  once  the  same  way.  The 
next  night  was  rainy  again,  and  the  herd  kept  running 
and  moving  all  night.  They  didn't  make  a  big  stam- 
pede, but  they  would  all  start  and  run  a  few  hundred 
yards  and  then  stop,  but  wouldn't  be  still.  It  was 
pitch  dark,  and  we  lost  the  wagon  directly,  and  didn't 
know  where  we  were.  All  hands  were  up  and  in  the 
saddle.  Sometimes  they  would  keep  still  for  half 
an  hour,  and  Capt.  Dick  would  ride  round  and  tell 
every  other  man  to  lie  down  close  enough  to  the  herd 
so  that  he  wouldn't  lose  them  if  they  ran,  but  we 
could  hardly  get  to  sleep  before  they  would  be  off 
again,  and  we  would  jump  into  our  saddles  and  be 
after  them.  We  laid  down  in  our  overcoats,  hats, 
boots,  and  spurs.  Next  morning  we  were  clear  out 
of  sight  of  the  wagon.  It  was  raining  so  hard  that  we 
knew  the  cook  couldn't  cook  any  thing,  so  Capt.  Dick 
sent  Highover  and  three  other  hands  back  to  find  the 
wagon,  get  up  the  loose  horses,  catch  the  ones  we 
wanted,  and  tell  the  cook  to  drive  on.  Then  he 
started  off  to  find  the  Trail. 

When  he  found  it  we  drove  to  it  and  let  the  cattle  feed 
along  it  until  the  wagon  came  up.  Then  we  changed 
horses  and  started  again.  There  was  a  little  cold  bread 
and  meat  at  the  wagon,  but  hardly  a  mouthful  apiece. 


226  LIVE    BOYS. 

We  didn't  get  any  thing  to  eat  that  day,  for  it  kept 
raining,  and  the  cook  had  let  his  wood  get  wet  and 
couldn't  get  a  fire  started,  and  there  was  only  one 
green  tree  in  sight,  and  no  dry  wood.  That  night  we 
had  to  be  up  until  about  three  o'clock  again,  and  then 
when  the  cattle  did  get  still,  it  was  our  turn  to  go  on 
guard,  and  we  didn't  get  to  sleep  any  only  little  cat- 
naps we  caught  in  the  saddle.  But  it  cleared  off 
pretty,  and  the  sun  come  out  bright  and  warm,  and 
when  we  were  relieved  and  went  to  the  wagon,  old 
Jose  had  a  good  breakfast  and  plenty  of  strong,  hot 
coffee  for  us,  and  we  felt  a  heap  better.  Herding  is 
hard  work  when  you  have  to  be  up  nearly  all  night 
two  or  three  nights  at  a  time,  and  don't  get  any  thing 
to  eat  for  twenty-four  hours  besides.  I  went  to  sleep 
riding  along  beside  the  herd  a  dozen  times  that  day, 
I  just  couldn't  keep  awake.  When  I  would  be 
trying  my  hardest  I  would  go  to  sleep  before  I 
knew  it.  Several  of  the  men  went  to  sleep  on  guard 
that  night.  Some  horses  will  keep  right  on  around 
the  herd  all  the  same,  but  some  of  them  just  as 
soon  as  they  find  their  riders  is  asleep  will  come  to 
the  wagon,  or  go  feeding  about.  It's  the  funniest 
thing  to  watch  a  man  on  horseback  asleep  and  see 
him  riding  zigzag  anywhere  his  horse  wants  to  go, 
and  he  bobbing  about  first  one  side  and  then  the 
other  like  he  was  going  to  fall  off  all  the  time. 
And  if  his  horse  goes  to  the  wagon  and  stops  and  he 
wakes  up  and  finds  himself  there,  he  looks  so  foolish. 
One  night  when  I  was  riding  Monkey  on  herd  I  went 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       22/ 

to  sleep,  and  the  little  rascal  went  to  the  wagon  with 
me,  and  when  he  stopped  I  woke  up  and  saw  where 
I  was  ;  but  I  just  got  down  and  went  to  the  water 
bucket  and  got  a  drink  as  if  I  had  come  there  for 
that,  and  I  don't  believe  any  of  them  knew  I  had  been 
asleep.  I  think  cow-boys  are  very  faithful  to  stick  to 
their  cattle  as  they  do,  when  it  would  be  so  easy  to 
ride  off  a  piece  and  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep,  and  say 
next  day  they  had  lost  the  herd  and  couldn't  find  it. 
They  don't  get  much  pay  and  have  to  work  real  hard. 
We  had  good  weather  again  now  and  get  rested  up 
some.  The  country  was  all  rolling  prairie,  with 
hardly  any  timber  at  all  except  on  the  rivers  and 
creeks,  and  not  much  there.  There  was  water  every 
ten  or  fifteen  miles,  so  the  cattle  did  not  suffer  any, 
though  it  was  right  mean  for  drinking  sometimes. 
The  day  we  crossed  the  Washita  the  wind  blew  hard 
from  the  north  all  day,  and  kept  up  such  a  cloud  we 
could  hardly  see,  and  sometimes  it  would  get  into  our 
mouths  and  almost  strangle  us.  At  dinner  time  the 
cook  piled  up  every  thing  he  could  get  on  the  north 
side  of  his  fire,  but  every  thing  was  full  of  dirt.  There 
was  a  little  old  bark  shanty  near  the  Trail  at  the 
Washita,  where  the  Indians  used  to  keep  a  man  to 
take  toll  from  every  herd  that  passed.  They  made  the 
boss  give  them  a  beef  for  every  thousand  head.  They 
said  it  was  their  grass  and  their  water,  and  ought  to 
be  their  beef  too.  But  they  haven't  done  it  for 
several  years  now.  I  believe  the  United  States  made 
them  quit  it. 


228  LIVE    BOYS. 

We  made  a  dry  camp  that  night,  and  next  day  we 
didn't  get  water  until  about  three  o'clock,  and  the 
cattle  and  horses  were  very  thirsty.  The  front  ones 
kept  travelling  fast  to  get  to  water,  until  the  herd  was 
strung  out  about  two  miles.  Some  of  them  kept  up  a 
lowing  all  the  time.  When  they  got  to  water  it  was 
a  little  narrow  creek,  where  only  a  few  could  get  in 
at  a  time  and  when  the  hindmost  got  to  it  it  was  so 
muddy  they  could  hardly  drink  it.  Capt.  Dick  said 
once  when  he  was  driving  out  to  the  Pecos  there 
wasn't  any  water  for  thirty  miles.  They  let  the  cat- 
tle feed  and  water  until  near  sundown,  and  then  drive 
all  night,  and  it  was  late  in  the  evening  the  next  day 
before  they  got  to  the  water.  He  said  some  of  the 
cattle  got  so  thirsty  that  they  seemed  to  be  'most 
crazy,  and  a  few  of  them  fought  them  for  five  miles 
before  they  got  there.  The  men  too  were  nearly 
choked  for  water.  They  chewed  bullets,  and  pieces 
of  raw  hide,  and  two  of  them  got  so  hot  and  mad  and 
thirsty  that  one  of  them  shot  one  beef  that  kept  fight- 
ing them,  and  cut  his  throat,  and  they  pulled  off  their 
boots  and  caught  the  blood  in  them  and  drank  it. 
They  were  'most  ready  to  fight  each  other  for  it.  He 
said  there  were  some  pools  of  alkali  water  not  far  from 
the  road,  and  they  had  the  hardest  kind  of  work  to 
keep  the  cattle  out  of  them,  but  they  knew  that  every 
one  that  got  a  big  drink  of  alkali  water  would  die. 
When  they  got  within  a  mile  of  the  river  the  cattle 
smelt  the  water,  and,  tired  as  they  was,  they  started  for 
it  in  a  trot.  Two  or  three  killed  themselves  drinking, 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        229 

and  several  more  got  washed  away  by  the  river,  crowd- 
ing each  other  in  so.  He  said  it  was  the  most  mourn- 
ful thing  he  had  ever  heard  the  way  the  poor  things 
kept  up  lowing  before  they  got  to  the  river. 

All  along  the  Trail  we  would  see  ashes  where  other 
herds  had  camped.  A  burnt  place  shows  a  long  time. 
Some  of  them  were  two  or  three  years  old,  but  they 
still  showed  plain.  The  ashes  was  all  washed  away, 
but  the  bare  place  is  there.  Wood  is  so  scarce  that 
the  cook  don't  use  any  more  than  he  can  help,  and 
you  could  nearly  always  cover  it  with  a  broad-brimmed 
Mexican  hat.  It  looked  curious  to  me  that  such  a 
little  thing  should  be  all  there  was  to  tell  where  so 
many  cattle,  and  the  horses  and  men  and  wagon,  had 
staid  all  night,  and  we  knew  just  as  well  that  a  herd 
had  been  as  if  we  had  seen  them. 

"  But,  Charley,  might  not  some  of  the  fires  have  been 
made  by  men  who  were  not  travelling  with  cattle  ?" 

Yes,  sir  ;  but  they  nearly  always  went  farther  from 
the  Trail  so  as  not  to  be  in  the  way  of  any  cattle  that 
might  pass.  If  you  wanted  to  know  for  certain,  you 
could  tell  by  finding  the  bed-ground.  You  couldn't 
see  it  from  the  Trail  maybe,  but  if  you  rode  out  and 
hunted  for  it  you  could  always  find  it,  and  if  there 
wasn't  any,  you  could  know  it  hadn't  been  a  herd.  A 
bed-ground  won't  show  more  than  two  or  three  years, 
and  sometimes  you  can  hardly  find  it  the  next  year. 

At  the  Canadian  river  there  was  a  little  supply 
store  where  a  man  kept  goods  to  sell  drovers,  and 
trade  with  the  Indians  for  buffalo  robes  and  other 


23O  LIVE    BOYS. 

skins.  His  house  had  a  dirt  floor,  and  the  roof  was 
made  of  poles  covered  with  dirt  or  clay,  and  he  had 
a  big  chain  with  a  heavy  lock  to  stretch  across  the 
door  at  night  to  keep  anybody  from  getting  in  and 
stealing  his  horses.  He  had  two,  and  the  stable  was 
next  to  his  room,  just  a  little  partition  between.  He 
had  some  fine  robes  hanging  up  in  his  store.  Some 
of  the  men  bought  some  tobacco  there.  I  wouldn't 
like  to  live  in  such  a  place,  because  the  Indians  might 
come  any  time  and  kill  him  and  take  all  he  had.  He 
had  a  few  cattle  that  he  had  got  from  drovers  for  sup- 
plies. Sometimes  a  beef  gets  foot  sore  so  he  can't  keep 
up  with  the  herd,  and  then  they  trade  him  off  the  first 
store  they  get  to.  I  used  to  feel  real  sorry  for  the 
poor  things  limping  along  behind  the  herd,  and  getting 
poorer  all  the  time.  Most  of  them  get  well  though. 

We  crossed  the  Canadian  without  any  trouble,  for 
it  wasn't  very  deep.  I  remembered  that  was  the  river 
where  Washington  Irving  had  the  buffalo  chase,  and 
the  young  Swiss  Count  got  lost,  though  I  don't  reck- 
on it  was  at  the  place  where  we  crossed  it.  I  read 
about  in  a  book  called  Crayon  Miscellany,  that  Miss 
Masover  lent  me.  But  there  wasn't  game  like  when 
he  and  the  Rangers  was  there.  I  expect  there  is 
game  away  from  the  Trail,  but  we  never  saw  a  single 
deer  or  turkey.  Sometimes  in  herding  we  would 
scare  up  a  prairie  chicken,  and  once  I  found  a  nest 
with  ten  good  eggs  in  it. 

It  was  at  Turkey  Creek  we  saw  the  first  prairie 
dogs.  These  don't  look  like  dogs  at  all,  but  like  sqir- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       23! 

rels.  They  stand  up  on  their  hind  feet  and  hold  the 
grass  roots  between  their  forepaws  just  like  squirrels, 
and  they  are  'most  the  color  of  a  fox  squirrel,  but  a 
little  bigger,  and  chunkier,  and  they  only  have  a  little 
squatty  tail  about  four  inches  long.  They  live  on  the 
roots  of  the  buffalo  grass.  We  never  saw  any  only 
where  there  was  buffalo  grass.  They  have  holes  in 
the  ground  with  the  dirt  thrown  up  around  them  like 
an  ant  heap.  We  would  see  them  sitting  on  top  of 
the  little  mounds  barking  at  us  like  squirrels  when 
they  think  they  are  safe  in  a  big  tree,  but  just  start 
towards  one  and  he  would  give  a  little  yelp,  his  heels 
would  fly  up,  and  down  he  would  get  into  his  hole. 
We  travelled  through  a  dog-town  five  miles  that  day, 
and  the  boys  shot  at  them  a  heap  but  nobody  killed 
one,  or  if  he  did  he  got  into  his  hole  and  he  didn't  get 
him.  There  are  little  screech-owls  that  seem  to  stay 
in  the  same  holes  with  the  prairie  dogs,  though  may- 
be they  only  take  holes  the  dogs  have  left.  You 
nearly  always  find  rattlesnakes  in  their  towns  too,  and 
if  you  get  after  one  he  will  always  run  into  one  of  the 
holes.  But  I  should  think  they  would  eat  up  the 
little  prairie  dogs  if  they  lived  in  the  same  holes. 
Capt.  Dick  said  he  thought  the  prairie  dogs  could 
keep  the  rattlesnakes  out  of  their  holes  by  bitting 
them,  but  he  expected  sometimes  they  slipped  in 
when  the  old  ones  were  out  and  made  a  meal  off  of 
the  little  ones.  One  night  when  we  had  camped  in  a 
dog-town  two  of  the  boys  took  the  bucket  and  filled  a 
hole  with  water  and  made  the  prairie  dog  come  out. 


232  LIVE    BOYS. 

and  caught  him.  It  took  nearly  three  buckets  of 
water.  There  wasn't  but  one  dog  in  that  hole.  They 
tied  him  to  a  stake,  but  next  morning  he  was  gone. 
He  had  cut  the  string  with  his  teeth.  Sometimes 
you  catch  one  by  a  slip  noose  in  the  wagon  whip,  and 
putting  it  over  the  hole,  and  lying  down  right  quiet. 
When  the  prairie  dog  puts  his  head  up  through  the 
noose  you  must  jerk  it  tight  right  quick,  and  you  can 
snatch  him  away  from  his  hole.  They  can't  run  very 
fast,  but  there  are  so  many  holes  and  so  close  together 
that  they  can  always  get  into  one  before  you  can 
catch  them.  They  are  good  to  eat,  though  nobody 
likes  much  to  eat  them  because  they  are  called  dogs. 
Capt.  Dick  killed  two  one  day  with  his  pistol,  and  I 
ate  some  and  thought  it  was  real  good.  They  are  too 
tough  to  fry,  unless  you  boil  them  first.  Capt.  Dick 
said  he  asked  an  Indian  once  if  they  ate  them,  and  he 
said  "  No,  no  good  ;  there  come  a  time  when  there 
come  the  hair  all  off."  Nasho  said  the  Indians  he 
was  with  used  to  eat  them  if  they  couldn't  get  any 
thing  else.  Several  of  the  boys  tried  them,  but  all 
gave  it  up  except  Capt.  Dick  and  me.  They  laughed 
at  us  a  good  deal  about  eating  dog. 

That  evening  we  saw  the  first  bunch  of  antelope 
we  had  seen,  and  away  off  two  or  three  miles  were 
some  tents.  They  were  a  party  of  surveyors  or  Indi- 
ans, we  couldn't  tell  which.  I  thought  it  looked  like 
Indian  country,  for  there  wasn't  a  house  or  tree  in 
sight,  and  no  tame  animals  except  ours,  and  no  herd 
in  sight,  just  us  out  in  the  big  prairie. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HIGHOVER  AND  BLACK  JACK  TRY  TO  STEAL  THE  HERD. — 

A     NIGHT-STAMPEDE. WHISTLING     BILL      SHOT. 

CHARLEY  STARTS    ON  A    LONG    RIDE. 

WE  were  camped  on  Nine  Mile  Creek  about  a 
short  drive  from  Salt  Fork.  Something  had 
waked  me  up  very  early  in  the  night  and  I  thought  I 
would  go  out  and  stake  Comanche  in  a  fresh  place. 
There  was  a  little  hollow  close  to  the  wagon,  big 
enough  to  hide  a  horse  in,  and  I  staked  him  down  in 
that.  When  I  started  back  I  heard  a  fuss  at  the  wagon 
like  two  men  fighting,  and  cursing,  so  I  crawled  up  the 
hill  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  thought  first  it 
was  Indians,  because  the  Indian  Reservation  for  the 
Osages  was  on  the  sight  of  the  Trail,  and  the  Chey- 
ennes  and  Rapahoes  on  the  left,  but  the  noise  I  heard 
wasn't  made  by  Indians.  It  was  American.  When 
I  got  where  I  could  see,  the  moon  was  shining  bright. 
Highover  and  Black  Jack  and  the  three  Mexicans 
were  at  the  wagon.  They  had  Capt.  Dick  and  Whist- 
ling Bill  tied,  and  was  talking  to  Mose  Baker.  He 
was  begging  them  not  to  hurt  him.  Black  Jack 
wanted  to  tie  him  too,  but  at  last  Highover  said  if  he 


234  LIVE    BOYS. 

would  get  on  his  knees  and  swear  not  to  leave  them, 
and  to  help  drive  the  cattle,  they  would  let  him  loose, 
and  he  done  it.  Highover  said  Col.  Hunt  owed  him 
and  Black  Jack  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  wouldn't 
pay  them,  and  they  were  just  going  to  take  the  cattle 
to  Wichita  and  sell  them,  and  pay  themselves,  and 
leave  the  rest  of  the  money  there  for  Col.  Hunt,  and 
that  they  wouldn't  hurt  Capt.  Dick  and  Whistling  Bill, 
but  they  would  have  to  keep  them  tied  and  out  of  the 
way  until  they  had  sold  the  cattle,  and  then  they 
would  let  them  loose.  Highover  asked  whereabout 
that  little  Charley  was,  but  nobody  knew,  for  nobody 
was  awake  when  I  had  left  the  wagon.  He  waked  up 
the  cook  and  asked  him,  but  he  didn't  know  either, 
Highover  said  if  they  didn't  get  hold  of  him  he  would 
come  back  and  let  Dick  and  Bill  loose,  but  Black  Jack 
said  they  would  fix  that  by  leaving  Well  man  on  guard 
at  the  wagon  with  a  pistol,  and  when  the  smart  little 
rascal  came  up  he  would  make  him  lay  down  and  keep 
still  until  they  came  off  herd.  Highover  said  that 
would  do,  and  told  Wellman  to  stay  at  the  wagon  and 
keep  a  good  watch,  and  if  Dick  or  Bill  tried  to  get 
loose  to  shoot  them,  and  when  they  sold  their  cattle 
they  would  give  him  two  hundred  dollars  besides  his 
wages,  and  to  be  sure  and  not  go  to  sleep.  Then  he 
said  they  would  go  and  see  about  their  herd  ;  may  be 
the  blamed  Africans  had  let  them  get  away.  They 
rode  off,  but  directly  Highover  came  back  and  staked 
out  his  horse,  and  got  on  Beelzebub  and  rode  away  to 
the  herd. 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IN  TEXAS.        235 

I  didn't  know  what  to  do.  I  was  sure  Highover  and 
Black  Jack  intended  to  steal  the  herd,  and  the  Mexi- 
cans was  going  to  help  them  drive  it,  and  they  would 
make  Mose  Baker  and  the  negroes  help  too.  I  was 
afraid  they  would  get  tired  of  keeping  Capt.  Dick  and 
Whistling  Bill  tied  and  watching  them,  and  kill  them 
to  keep  them  from  ever  telling  on  them.  I  thought 
first  I  would  go  to  some  other  herd  and  tell  them  and 
get  the  hands  to  come  and  let  Capt.  Dick  and  Whist- 
ling Bill  loose,  and  then  I  thought  if  Highover  found 
I  didn't  come  back  he  would  think  I  had  gotten  away, 
and  would  leave  the  Trail  and  may  be  get  away  with 
the  cattle  before  we  could  find  them,  and  kill  Capt. 
Dick  and  Whistling  Bill. 

While  I  was  studying  what  to  do  and  afraid  all  the 
time  they  would  come  back  and  I  would  have  to  run 
off  without  doing  any  thing,  Nasho  got  up,  and  walked 
out  in  a  few  steps  of  me.  Wellman  looked  up,  but 
when  he  saw  it  was  Nasho,  he  didn't  say  any  thing  or 
watch  him.  I  called  to  Nasho  right  low,  and  he  look- 
ed up  quick  and  then  went  on  like  he  hadn't  heard 
any  thing.  But  he  kept  moving  about  and  stretching 
like  he  was  sleepy,  and  getting  closer  to  me,  and  then 
dropped  down  in  the  grass  and  crawled  up  to  me.  I 
told  him  quick  what  had  happened,  and  he  said  : 

"  Yes,  me  hear  all ;  that  what  for  me  come  out 
here  ;  me  tout  you  was  here  somewhere." 

I  told  him  I  wanted  to  get  Capt.  Dick  and  Whist- 
ling Bill  loose  and  I  didn't  know  how  to  do  it  before 
Highover  and  Black  Jack  come  back. 


236  LIVE   BOYS. 

"Give  me  pistol,  Carley,  me  crawl  up  and  shoot 
Well  man. 

I  told  him  no,  because  Highover  and  Black  Jack 
and  the  other  Mexicans  would  be  back  when  they 
heard  the  shooting,  and  Capt.  Dick  or  Whistling  Bill 
or  may  be  both  of  them  would  be  sure  to  be  killed. 

"  Well,  Carley,"  he  said,  "  me  get  horse  and  slip  up 
hollow  and  stampede  herd,  and  while  dey  run  vWell- 
man  jump  up  to  see  what  matter,  den  you  cut  Capt. 
Dick  an  oder  fellow  loose.  If  Wellman  come,  you 
shoot  him.  It  light,  cattle  no  run  far,  me  go  wid  'ern 
and  we  get  'em  again." 

I  told  him  that  was  a  good  way  to  do,  but  be  sure 
and  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Highover  and  Black  Jack, 
or  they  would  shoot  him. 

"  Dey  not  catch  Nasho,  you  no  be  'fraid." 

He  went  back  to  the  wagon  like  he  had  come,  and 
put  on  his  blanket.  Then  I  saw  him  go  to  the  fire 
and  light  a  cigarette,  and  slip  the  bread  pan  under  his 
blanket.  Then  he  got  up  and  started  to  his  horse. 
Wellman  raised  up  and  asked  him  where  he  was  go- 
ing. He  said  it  was  'most  time  for  him  to  go  on 
guard,  and  he  would  go  and  see  about  the  horses,  that 
he  hadn't  heard  the  bell  since  he  waked  up. 

He  got  on  his  horse  and  rode  off  in  siich  a  way  as 
to  get  into  the  hollow  where  he  wouldn't  be  seen.  I 
couldn't  watch  him  any  further  and  just  lay  still  and 
listened.  I  took  out  my  knife  and  kept  it  in  my  right 
hand,  and  had  mine  and  Nasho' s  pistol  in  my  other 
one.  I  tell  you  my  heart  beat  fast. 


CHARLEY  AND  N>SHO  IN  TEXAS.       237 

It  seemed  to  me  a  half  hour  before  I  heard  a  horse's 
feet  running,  and  somebody  yelling  like  an  Indian.  I 
was  so  excited  I  jumped  up  and  saw  Nasho  running 
toward  the  herd  as  hard  as  he  could  go,  beating  the 
tin  pan  with  one  hand,  and  swinging  his  blanket  with 
the  other.  The  hands  were  all  in  a  bunch  on  the 
other  side  of  the  herd.  The  cattle  all  broke,  but 
I  didn't  wait  for  any  thing.  I  just  ran  to  Capt.  Dick 
and  cut  him  loose,  and  handed  him  my  pistol,  and  told 
him  there  was  a  horse  in  the  hollow  —  that  Highover 
had  his  horse.  I  heard  him  muttering  "  Curse  their 
thieving  souls ! "  and  he  was  gone.  It  didn't  take  a 
second  hardly,  and  in  another  second  I  had  cut  Whist- 
ling Bill  loose.  We  started  for  the  horses,  but  the 
whole  herd  was  coming  toward  us  like  a  streak,  and 
Whistling  Bill  broke  back  again  for  the  wagon.  I 
thought  I  could  get  to  a  horse  before  they  would 
catch  me  and  kept  on.  I  had  just  got  to  a  pony 
that  was  saddled  and  put  my  foot  in  the  stirrup  when 
a  steer  hit  him  and  knocked  him  down  and  sent  me 
heels  over  head  in  the  air.  I  crawled  back  to  the 
pony  and  laid  down  just  as  close  to  his  back  as  I  could 
get.  A  beef  stumbled  and  fell  over  us  and  broke  his 
neck.  He  lay  dead  almost  against  me.  As  the  first 
cattle  came  to  us  they  had  to  jump,  for  they  were  so 
thick  they  couldn't  go  round,  but  directly  they  began 
to  thin  out  and  then  they  dodged  to  the  right  and  left. 
I  reckon  though  at  least  twenty  jumped  right  over  me 
and  the  pony.  I  tell  you  it  was  a  scary  place.  They 
so  much  noise  you  couldn't  have  heard  thunder. 


238  LIVE    BOYS. 

As  they  began  to  get  pretty  thin  I  heard  pistol 
shots  at  the  wagon.  I  knew  something  was  wrong, 
and  jumped  up.  A  bullet  whistled  close  to  my  head. 
I  saw  Whistling  Bill  fire  and  a  man  on  horseback 
fall.  His  horse  ran  back.  In  a  second  Highover  and 
Aunt  Tony  came  up  horseback  and  began  shooting, 
and  Whistling  Bill  fell.  They  rode  on  then  after  the 
herd,  as  hard  as  they  could  go.  I  ran  up  to  Whist- 
ling Bill  and  asked  him  if  he  was  hurt  much.  He 
said  no,  not  very  much,  and  told  me  to  watch  Wellman 
under  the  wagon ;  but  I  saw  he  was  lying  still  and 
didn't  go  to  him. 

Whistling  Bill  didn't  say  any  thing  else,  and  when  I 
asked  him  any  thing  he  didn't  answer  me.  I  was 
afraid  he  was  dying,  and  there  was  nobody  in  sight, 
and  I  had  to  watch  Wellman  too  ;  I  picked  up  the 
pistol  Whistling  Bill  had  dropped.  It  was  Wellman's. 
I  knew  he  must  have  snatched  it  away  from  Wellman, 
and  either  shot  him  or  knocked  him  down,  he  lay  so 
still.  There  wasn't  but  one  load  in  it.  Every  min- 
ute seemed  like  an  hour.  I  didn't  know  what  to  do. 
I  couldn't  go  off  for  help,  and  I  didn't  know  what  to 
do  for  poor  Whistling  Bill.  He  was  shot  in  the  side, 
and  was  bleeding  a  little,  but  not  much.  Now  and 
then  he  would  moan  as  if  in  pain,  but  he  never  an- 
swered any  thing  I  asked  him. 

I  could  tell  from  the  sound  that  the  herd  had  stop- 
ped running,  and  knew  the  hands  had  got  round  them 
and  had  them  in  hand  again.  I  was  listening  for 
them  to  come  back  when  I  heard  two  pistol  shots  so 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        239 

close  together  they  seemed  almost  like  one.  That 
made  me  more  anxious  then  ever,  for  I  knew  those 
shots  meant  fighting,  and  I  was  afraid  Capt.  Dick 
might  be  killed.  I  wanted  to  jump  on  a  horse  and 
run  over  there,  but  I  couldn't  leave  Whistling  Bill.  I 
got  a  blanket  and  spread  over  him  to  keep  the  dew  off 
him.  I  thought  I  heard  him  say  "  water,"  and  ran  and 
got  him  a  drink  out  of  the  bucket,  and  raised  up  his 
head  so  he  could  drink.  He  drank  the  whole  cupful, 
and  looked  at  me  and  said  :  "  Carley,  is  that  you  ? 
The  herd's  stampeded  —  go  for  'em.  Blast  that  High- 
over  !  the — "  and  then  he  fell  back  again  and  didn't 
know  any  thing.  I  would  have  given  every  thing  in 
the  world  I  had,  and  promised  to  turn  back  home  for 
a  doctor,  or  somebody  that  could  do  something  for  him. 
I  thought  every  minute  he  would  die,  and  I  couldn't 
do  any  thing  for  him.  I  didn't  know  what  to  do. 

I  know  it  wasn't  long,  though  it  seemed  like  a 
month,  before  I  saw  the  herd  coming  back.  When 
they  got  closer  I  could  see  Capt.  Dick  riding  round 
and  stopping  a  minute  with  each  hand.  Then  he  left 
the  herd  and  came  galloping  up  to  the  wagon.  How 
my  heart  thumped,  I  was  so  glad  to  see  him  !  I  ran  out 
to  meet  him  and  told  him  Whistling  Bill  was  shot,  and 
didn't  know  nothing,  and  I  thought  was  dying.  He 
only  muttered  "  Serve  him  right !  "  as  he  jumped  off 
his  horse,  caught  me  in  his  arms  a  second  and  hugged 
me  so  I  almost  hollered,  and  kept  on  to  Whistling  Bill. 
He  knelt  down  by  him  and  felt  of  his  arm.  Then  he 
saw  where  the  blood  came  from  and  loosened  his 


24O  LIVE    BOYS. 

clothes  so  he  could  get  to  the  place.  I  stood  by  him. 
He  raised  him  up  a  little  so  he  could  pull  his  shirt  up 
from  his  back,  and  I  saw  another  bloody  hole  in  his 
side  behind.  Capt.  Dick's  face  lightened  up  a  little, 
and  he  said  to  me  low  : — - 

"  He's  pretty  badly  hurt,  Charley ;  but  I  don't  think 
he'll  die.  The  ball's  come  out  again.  Get  on  my 
horse  and  go  to  the  herd,  and  tell  Gen.  Foote  to  come 
here,  and  the  other  boys  to  watch  the  cattle  close,  and 
for  none  of  them  to  leave  the  herd." 

Wellman's  lying  there  under  the  wagon,  Capt. 
Dick ;  watch  him. 

I  sent  Gen.  Foote  in  and  told  the  boys  Capt.  Dick 
said  they  must  watch  the  cattle  close  and  none  of 
them  leave  the  herd.  I  didn't  have  time  to  tell  them 
any  thing  except  that  Whistling  Bill  was  badly  shot, 
but  Capt.  Dick  didn't  think  he  would  die,  or  to  ask 
them  any  questions,  because  some  of  the  cattle  was 
restless  and  scary  and  we  had  to  keep  riding  round 
and  talking  to  them  to  keep  them  still.  It  wasn't  but 
a  little  while  till  Gen.  Foote  came  back  and  said  Capt. 
Dick  wanted  me.  I  rode  to  the  wagon  and  got  down 
and  went  to  him.  Whistling  Bill  was  lying  on  a  nice 
pallet  under  the  wagon,  but  his  eyes  was  shut  and  I 
could  tell  he  didn't  know  nothing.  Capt.  Dick  was 
sitting  by  him,  Wellman  was  lying  near  the  wagon 
wheel  with  his  head  all  bloody.  Capt.  Dick  got  up 
and  came  to  me  and  said  low : — 

"  Charley,  I  want  you  to  go  to  Ellis  and  get  a  doc- 
tor. It's  a  long  ride,  and  you  must  go  day  and  night 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       24! 

till  you  get  there.  If  you  get  too  tired  you  can  lie 
down  on  the  road  and  sleep  an  hour,  and  then  go  on 
again.  Whistling  Bill's  going  to  be  very  sick,  and  I 
am  afraid  he'll  die  if  we  don't  get  a  doctor  pretty 
quick,  I'll"- 

Ain't  there  a  doctor  at  Caldwell,  Capt.  Dick  ? 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  am  afraid  to  trust  the  old  pill-peciler. 
You  must  go  to  Ellis.  There's  a  good  one  there.  I 
will  write  you  a  couple  of  notes,  and  you  get  a  cup  of 
coffee  and  some  bread  before  you  start,  put  some 
bread  and  meat  in  your  saddle-pockets  too,  and  take 
your  rubber  blanket  and  overcoat.  It  may  rain  be 
fore  you  get  back." 

I  ain't  a  bit  hungry,  Capt.  Dick. 

"  But  you  will  be  before  you  are  gone  an  hour. 
Try  and  eat  something,  Charley,  before  you  go." 

I  started  up  the  fire  and  put  on  the  coffee  pot  and 
got  out  some  cold  bread  and  meat  and  ate  a  snack.  I 
wasn't  hungry  and  didn't  eat  much  When  I  got 
through  Capt.  Dick  had  his  notes  ready. 

"  Stop  at  the  first  herd  ahead  of  you,  Charley,  and 
ask  for  the  boss.  It's  one  of  Capt.  Littlefield's,  and  the 
boss  knows  me.  Tell  him  what  a  fix  we  are  in  and 
ask  him  if  he  can't  spare  me  a  hand  for  a  few  days. 
He'll  send  him,  I  know.  Then  go  on  to  the  next  one, 
that's  one  of  Major  Mabry's,  and  ask  the  boss  if  he 
can't  spare  me  a  hand.  Tell  them  both  I'll  get  hands 
just  as  soon  as  you  can  get  to  Ellis  and  they  come 
from  there.  If  they  don't  send  them  stop  at  every 
herd  you  come  to  until  you  do  get  them.  Tell  them, 
16 


242  LIVE    BOYS. 

too,  if  they  have  got  any  wine  or  any  thing  nice  to  eat 
in  camp  to  send  it  for  poor  Bill.  Then  you  hurry  on 
to  Ellis,  go  to  the  Railroad  House,  and  ask  for  Capt. 
Millet  or  Major  Mabry,  or  Capt.  Littlefield,  or  Col. 
King  or  any  Texas  cattle  man.  Some  of  'em's  sure 
to  be  there,  and  give  whoever  you  find  this  note.  He 
will  send  the  doctor  and  two  or  three  hands.  You  stay 
at  the  hotel  and  get  something  to  eat  and  take  a  good 
rest.  Rest  as  long  as  you  want  to,  and  you  needn't 
be  in  such  a  hurry  about  coming  back,  though  I  know 
you  won't  waste  any  time  on  the  road." 

That  I  won't,  Capt.  Dick. 

"  Stop  at  dinner  time  and  at  night  with  herds  on 
the  road,  and  get  something  to  .eat  and  a  blanket  to 
sleep  on.  If  your  horse  gets  tired  going,  stop  at  some 
herd  and  give  the  boss  this  note,  and  he  will  let  you 
have  a  fresh  horse.  Leave  your  horse  until  you  come 
back.  If  you  can't  get  a  horse  from  one,  try  another. 
'Most  all  of  them  know  me,  and  I  know  some  of  them 
will  let  you  have  a  horse  to  save  a  man's  life.  It's  a 
long,  hard  ride,  Charley,  and  I  hate  to  send  you,  but 
I  would  rather  have  you  go  than  anybody  else.  I 
know  I  can  depend  on  you." 

I  girted  my  saddle  tighter,  and  Capt.  Dick  helped 
me  to  tie  on  my  overcoat  and  rubber.  Then  I  got 
into  the  saddle  and  reached  out  my  hand  to  bid  Capt. 
Dick  good-by. 

"Tell  whoever  you  find  at  Ellis  to  send  some  good 
wine  and  nice  things  for  a  sick  man  with  the  doctor. 
I  know  you  won't  let  grass  grow  under  your  feet 


CHARLEY   AND    NASHO    IX    TEXAS.  245 

Good-by  and  God  bless  you  !  Charley."  I  couldn't  sa\ 
a  word.  I  was  'most  crying,  so  I  just  popped  the  spurs, 
to  Comanche  and  was  off  in  a  long  gallop.  Com 
manche  wanted  to  go  too  fast,  but  I  knew  he  would 
need  all  his  bottom  before  he  got  there,  and  pulled 
him  up  until  he  settled  down  steadily  to  his  work. 

Day  was  just  breaking  as  I  rode  up  to  the  first 
herd.  The  boss  was  on  herd,  and  I  rode  out  there 
and  found  him  and  told  him  my  errand. 

He  broke  out  with  a  prolonged  whistle  when  I  got 
through.  "  I've  been  on  the  Trail  five  years,  and 
never  heard  the  like  before.  All  right.  Tell  Capt. 
Dick  I'll  send  him  a  hand  right  off.  He  can  go  back 
with  you  now." 

He  started  to  the  wagon  with  me,  but  I  told  him  I 
was  going  on  to  Ellis. 

"  Then  a  hard  long  ride  you've  got,  little  one. 
Reckon  you'll  give  out  on  the  road.  All  right,  I'll 
send  the  hand  right  off.  Good-by,  keep  up  your 
pluck,  and  good  luck  to  you." 

When  I  told  my  story  at  the  next  herd  I  thought 
the  boss  wasn't  going  to  send  any  help. 

"  Mighty  short-handed  we  are.  Don't  know  how 
we  would  manage  if  there  should  come  a  storm.  Whose 
herd  is  it  anyhow  ?  " 

"  Col.  Hunt's." 

Who's  your  boss  ? " 

"  Capt.  Dick." 

"  All  right.  Capt.  Dick  can  get  any  thing  I've  got. 
Helped  me  out  of  a  quicksand  in  the  Platte  river,  he 


244  L1VE    BOYS. 

did  wonst,  and  lent  me  three  hands  to  help  gather  the 
bulls  in  Idaho  arter  the  wust  run  ever  I  seed,  and 
that  ain't  been  a  few  I  tell  you." 

He  called  one  of  the  hands,  but  I  told  him  I  was 
going  on  to  Ellis. 

"All  right.  I'll  send  him  in  less'n  no  time.  Capt. 
Dick  can  get  any  thing  I've  got,  he  kin.  Get  down, 
young  one,  and  have  some  breakfast.  It  ain't  no 
pleasure  trip  you're  going  on." 

I  thanked  him  but  told  him  I  had  had  breakfast,  and 
struck  out  for  the  Trail  again. 

"  Just  be  easy  about  that  hand,"  I  heard  him  holler 
after  me ;  "  Capt  Dick  can  get  any  thing  I've  got,  he 
kin,  you  bet." 

Every  few  miles  I  would  come  to  a  herd  and  have  to 
turn  out  and  go  round,  and  two  or  three  times  I  had 
to  stop  a  minute  or  two  with  a  drover  to  tell  my  errand. 
Comanche  couldn't  travel  as  fast  over  the  grass  when 
we  had  to  turn  out  as  he  could  on  the  beaten  Trail, 
but  he  never  slacked  his  gait,  and  I  felt  pretty  sure  we 
were  making  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  I  thought  more. 

It  wasn't  much  if  any  after  ten  o'clock  when  I  got 
to  Bluff  Creek.  That  was  the  line  between  The  Na- 
tion and  Kansas.  About  twelve  by  the  sun  I  stopped 
on  a  little  branch  the  other  side  of  the  Shawocaspah 
River  to  let  Comanche  rest  and  pick  a  little,  and  get 
a  little  rest  myself,  for  I  was  getting  tired.  A  mile 
or  two  gallop  is  mighty  pleasant  riding,  but  just  try 
fifty  of  'em  on  a  stretch,  and  see  if  you  don't  get  more 
riding  than  you  bargained  for. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       245 

I  ate  a  cold  snack  and  went  to  sleep  before  I  knew 
it,  but  I  didn't  sleep  more  than  half  an  hour,  and  when 
I  woke  up  all  of  a  sudden,  I  was  so  scared  to  think 
I  had  gone  to  sleep  when  maybe  Whistling  Bill  was 
dying  for  want  of  a  doctor,  that  I  jumped  up,  tighten- 
ed Comanche's  girth,  climbed  into  the  saddle  and 
struck  out  again.  I  would  like  to  have  had  some 
coffee,  but  the  next  herd  I  came  to  was  ten  miles 
ahead  and  had  had  dinner  and  was  moving  on. 

Comanche  kept  up  his  long  smooth  lope  just  as 
steady  as  when  he  began  in  the  morning,  but  I  began 
to  get  mighty  tired,  and  the  sun  seemed  to  me  to  go 
down  mighty  slow.  I  shifted  about  in  the  saddle  but 
that  didn't  do  any  good,  and  I  began  to  be  afraid  I 
would  never  get  through,  and  I  felt  like  I  would  al- 
most rather  die  than  not  get  through.  I  didn't  pay 
any  attention  to  the  country  I  was  going  over,  only  I 
remember  I  had  left  the  tall  grass  behind  and  most 
of  it  now  was  sedge  and  short  buffalo  grass.  I  re- 
member, too,  going  through  a  dog-town,  but  I  was  too 
tired  to  watch  the  little  barkers.  As  the  sun  got  low, 
every  minute  was  like  an  hour.  It  seemed  like  I  just 
must  fall  off  my  horse  and  go  to  sleep,  but  I  managed 
somehow  to  keep  on  and  at  dark  I  galloped  up  to  a 
herd  camped  on  Rattlesnake  Creek,  a  hundred  miles 
from  our  camp  on  Nine-Mile  Creek.  I  was  just  able 
to  tell  the  men  where  I  was  going  and  what  for,  and 
ask  the  boss  if  he  wouldn't  be  sure  and  have  me 
waked  up  in  an  hour,  and  then  dropped  down  and  went 
to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ONE  HUNDRED  MILES  ON  A  STRETCH.  —  A  LONG   SLEFP 
AND  START  BACK  TO  CAMP. 

I  KNEW  by  the  shining  of  the  moon  that  it  was 
past  twelve  o'clock  when  I  was  waked  up,  but  the 
man  who  had  called  me  said  it  wasn't  no  use  to  wake 
me  up  any  sooner  as  I  was  'most  dead  for  sleep,  and 
if  I  got  to  Ellis  in  the  night  I  would  have  been  too 
tired  to  have  gone  round  and  hunted  up  anybody  I 
wanted  to  see.  Everybody  would  be  in  bed  of  course. 
He  had  some  supper  ready  for  me  and  some  good  hot 
coffee,  and  while  I  was  eating  he  brought  Comanche 
up  and  saddled  him.  He  had  been  grazing  and 
seemed  almost  as  fresh  as  when  I  started.  "  One  of 
us  would  have  went  on  for  you,  youngster,  but  you 
didn't  tell  us  who  you  wanted  and  seemed  so  dead  for 
sleep  we  thought  we  had  better  let  you  alone.  I'll  go 
now  if  you'll  stay  and  drive  for  me  till  I  come  back." 
I  thanked  him,  but  told  him  I  was  ready  to  go  on 
now  for  I  was  rested,  and  climbed  into  the  saddle 
again,  shook  good-bye  with  him  and  struck  out  again. 
The  sleep  and  the  coffee  had  done  me  so  much  good 
that  I  felt  nearly  as  fresh  as  when  I  started,  only  a 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        247 

little  stiff  and  sore.  The  Arkansas  was  down  so  I 
crossed  it  without  any  trouble.  There  were  no  herds 
on  the  Trail  and  nothing  to  bother  me,  and  Comanche 
kept  on  as  steady  as  a  clock.  It  was  just  sun  up  as  I 
rode  into  Ellis.  I  went  to  the  hotel,  hitched  Coman- 
che, walked  in  and  asked  the  man  behind  the  counter 
if  Capt.  Millet  was  at  the  hotel. 

"  Yes,  he's  in,  but  he  ain't  up  yet." 

I  told  him  I  wanted  to  see  him  quick,  that  I  wanted 
a  doctor  for  a  man  who  was  shot,  and  he  sent  a  boy 
with  me  to  show  me  his  room.  Capt.  Millet  was  in 
bed,  but  I  gave  him  Capt.  Dick's  note  and  told  him 
what  I  had  come  for.  As  soon  as  he  read  it  he 
jumped  up  and  began  dressing,  talking  to  me  all  the 
time,  asking  me  when  I  left  camp,  what  had  been  the 
trouble,  how  many  hands  Capt.  Dick  had  and  where 
he  was  camped.  As  soon  as  he  was  dressed  he  told 
me  to  stay  at  his  room  until  he  came  back,  and  he 
would  go  out  and  send  the  doctor  off.  I  got  tired  of 
staying  in  the  room,  and  went  down  stairs.  It  wasn't 
long  until  he  came  back,  and  said  the  doctor  would 
start  in  a  few  minutes. 

He  came  up  directly,  a  tall  man  with  black  eyes 
and  hair,  riding  a  fine  bay  horse,  and  little  saddle- 
bags on  his  saddle,  asked  me  a  few  questions  about 
where  Whistling  Bill  was  shot,  and  where  the  camp 
was,  and  then  rode  off  on  a  gallop. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  Capt.  Millet  said  : — 

"  Well,  little  one,  I  reckon  you  are  about  tired  out. 
I  will  send  an  ambulance  with  a  good  bed  in  it  and 


248  LIVE    BOYS. 

every  thing  he  needs  for  your  sick  man,  and  three 
hands  to  drive.  I'll  have  your  horse  put  up,  and  you 
get  some  breakfast,  it'll  be  ready  directly,  and  then  go 
to  bed.  You've  had  a  hard  ride  and  must  be  tired  out." 

I  told  him  I  wasn't  tired  and  wanted  to  start  back, 
but  he  said  that  wouldn't  do,  that  if  I  wasn't  tired  now 
I  would  be,  that  I  couldn't  do  any  thing  if  I  went  back, 
and  that  Capt.  Dick  had  written  him  not  to  let  me 
start  back  under  twenty-four  hours  anyhow.  He  said 
he  should  be  surprised  if  my  ride  didn't  lay  me  up 
for  a  week.  I  wanted  to  go  back  mighty  bad,  but  Capt. 
Millet  had  been  so  kind  in  sending  every  thing  off, 
that  I  thought  I  ought  to  do  as  he  said,  and  when  I 
began  to  feel  stupid  after  breakfast  I  went  up  to  his 
room  and  laid  down.  When  I  woke  up  a  gong  was 
beating  and  Capt.  Millet  was  just  starting  to  leave 
the  room,  but  seeing  me  awake,  he  stopped. 

"  Well,  little  one,  you've  had  a  good  sleep.  Feel  like 
breakfast  don't  you  ?  Sort  of  stiff  and  sore  ain't  you  ? " 

I  told  him  I  wasn't  sore  at  all,  but  as  rested  and 
fresh  as  I  had  ever  been. 

"  WelJ^  dress  and  come  down  stairs  and  we'll  have 
some  breakfast.  I'll  wait  for  you  in  the  bar-room." 

After  breakfast  I  told  Capt.  Millet  I  wanted  to 
start  back  to  camp,  but  he  said  he  had  telegraphed 
to  Col.  Hunt  and  he  would  be  here  on  the  ten  o'clock 
train,  and  I  had  better  stop  and  see  him.  He  might 
want  to  go  to  camp  himself. 

I  went  to  the  stable  to  look  after  Comanche,  but 
the  old  fellow  was  looking  better  than  when  I  started. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        249 

He  had  been  rubbed  off  clean  and  nice,  and  was  pick- 
ing at  some  hay  as  if  he  didn't  know  what  else  to  do 
with  himself. 

"  That  ar  hoss  yours  ?  "  a  man  asked  me  who  came 
up  with  a  curry-comb  in  one  hand  and  a  brush  in  the 
other,  and  his  shirt  sleeves  rolled  up  to  his  elbows. 

Yes. 

"  Had  a  powerful  long  ride,  didn't  you  ?" 

Yes.  I  have  come  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles. 

"  Whew  !  wonder  it  didn't  kill  you.  You're  a  little 
one  for  that  sort  of  work.  But  I  tell  you  that  hoss  of 
yourn  is  clear  grit  and  no  mistake.  He's  ready  for 
another  hundred  mile  gallop." 

I  started  away,  but  he  came  up  and  said  : — 

"  I  say,  boss,  you  oughter  give  me  a  dollar  for  tend- 
ing to  your  hoss.  I  worked  mighty  hard  rubbin'  him 
down,  for  I  seed  he  bed  hed  a  powerful  long  gallop, 
and  would  be  stiff  if  I  didn't." 

I  happened  to  have  a  little  money  in  my  pocket, 
and  gave  him  a  dollar  and  went  back  to  the  hotel. 
There  wasn't  any  thing  to  do  but  wait  for  the  train. 
There  were  some  well  dressed  nice  looking  men 
lounging  round  the  hotel,  reading  papers,  smoking, 
and  talking,  or  walking  up  and  down  the  gallery. 
Now  and  then  a  rough  looking  fellow  would  come 
along  with  his  pants  in  his  boots,  a  slouch  hat  on  his 
head,  big  spurs,  and  pistol  in  his  belt  and  if  he  had 
"bull  whacker"  written  on  him  you  couldn't  have 
read  it  any  plainer. 


25O  LIVE    BOYS. 

We  went  down  to  the  depot  when  we  heard  the 
train  coming  and  met  Col.  Hunt.  He  asked  me  a 
good  many  questions  about  what  had  happened  at 
camp,  and  then  left  us  to  look  for  some  hands  he 
wanted  to  send  back  with  me  to  take  the  place  of 
those  Capt.  Dick  had  borrowed  and  the  others.  He 
came  to  the  hotel  about  noon  and  said, 

"  Charley,  if  I  understand  you,  you  are  short  six 
hands." 

Yes,  sir.  Wellman,  and  the  other  two  Mexicans, 
and  Highover,  and  Black  Jack,  and  Whistling  Bill. 

"  Well,  I  have  got  six  hands  with  eight  horses. 
You  don't  know  whether  any  of  the  horses  were  run 
off  or  not  ?  " 

No,  sir ;  though  I  don't  think  they  were,  because 
I  heard  the  bell  north  of  the  herd,  and  the  stampede 
went  to  the  south. 

"  Then  they'll  have  horses  enough.  You  had  bet- 
ter start  back  this  evening  with  these  hands  and  get 
there  as  soon  as  you  can,  though  you  needn't  hurry 
particularly.  I  have  no  instructions  to  send,  Capt.  Dick 
knows  just  as  well  what  to  do  as  I  would  if  I  were 
there.  I'll  settle  your  bill  here  and  remember  you 
when  you  get  through.  Do  you  want  any  thing  now  ?  " 

No,  sir. 

"  You  had  better  take  this  anyhow.  You  may  want 
something  before  you  go  out,"  and  he  handed  me  five 
dollars.  I  didn't  spend  it  though,  because  I  wanted 
to  save  all  my  money  to  go  to  the  Centennial  on. 
The  gong  beat  just  then  and  we  all  went  in  to  dinner. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

WHISTLING  BILL'S  STORY. CAPT.  DICK    TELLS    ABOUT 

THE     HANGING. BURYIiNG    IN      THE     PRAIRIE.  1\ 

SIGHT  OF  ELLIS. 

WHEN  we  got  to  camp  we  found  the  herd  right 
where  I  had  left  it.  Whistling  Bill  had  been 
too  sick  to  move,  but  was  over  his  fever  now  and  the 
doctor  was  going  to  start  to  Ellis  with  him  the  next 
morning  in  the  ambulance.  He  said  he  would  be 
well  in  a  couple  of  weeks,  but  would  have  to  be  quiet 
so  as  to  keep  fever  from  setting  in.  He  was  lying 
under  the  wagon,  and  the  sheet  had  been  stretched 
round  it  so  as  to  keep  the  sun  off  of  him.  I  went  to 
see  him,  and  he  was  right  glad  to  see  me.  We  got 
to  talking  about  the  night  of  the  stampede,  and  I 
asked  him  how  he  came  to  be  at  the  wagon. 

"  Why  you,  Carley,  I  saw  I  couldn't  make  it  to  a 
horse  before  they  would  be  on  me,  and  I  just  cutback 
to  the  wagon  to  get  out  of  their  way.  First  time  I 
ever  was  afraid  of  cattle  in  my  life,  but  Nasho  had 
give  'em  the  devil  of  a  scare,  and  the  mad  bulls 
was  comin'  like  an  avalanche  They  would  have 
run  square  over  the  wagon  if  I  hadn't  got  in  front 
of  it  with  a  blanket  and  hollered  and  cavorted  about 
worse'n  half  a  dozen  Injins.  Between  Nasho  and 


252  LIVE    BOYS. 

his  thundering  old  tin  ration-bag,  and  me  and  the 
blanket,  I  don't  think  the  whole  herd  of  bulls  had 
sense  enough  left  to  have  stocked  a  skunk  for  break 
fast.  By  George !  if  it  had  been  at  Austin  we  would  have 
corraled  the  whole  lot  of  'em  in  the  crazy-folks  hotel 
there.  They  was  greater  looneys  than  any  of  the  two- 
legged  naturals. 

"  You  bet,  Carley,  when  I  thought  about  you  I  didn't 
feel  like  I  was  at  a  weddin'.  I  thought  they  had 
made  hash  of  you  sure.  There  was  one  good  thing  ; 
their  eyes  was  so  big  they  would  think  you  was  ten 
feet  high,  an'  I  thought  they  might  dodge  you.  As 
the  tail  end  of  the  bulls  began  to  pass,  I  remember 
seeing  Old  Coly  and  Lame  Spot — never  a  bit  lame 
was  he  then  with  his  tail  up  going  like  a  scared  wolf. 
I'll  salt  his  hide  for  him  the  next  time  I  catch  him 
behind.  Senor  Schezeredicks  came  upon  horseback 
and  shot  at  me.  I  shot  back,  an' he  went  over  back- 
wards like  a  bullfrog  when  a  chunk  of  mud  takes 
him  in  the  belly.  Then  Highover  and  Aunt  Tony 
came  up  an'  took  a  hand,  and  Highover  throw'd  the  ace 
an'  I  flung  up  my  hand  an  that's  the  last  I  remember 
about  it.  I  tell  you,  Carley,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you, 
me  an'  Capt.  Dick  would  a  went  up  I  reckon  ;  for  I 
believe  them  ar'  scoundrels  would  have  cut  cur 
throats,  or  else  took  us  off  in  some  hollow  and  left  us 
to  starve  to  death  an'  be  eat  up  by  the  coyotes.  You 
bet,  my  boy,  I  ain't  goin'  to  forget  you." 

I  told  him  I  hoped  he  would  get  well  soon  so  he 
could  come  back  to  us,  for  we  would  all  miss  him  a  heap. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        253 

"  You  bet  I'll  come  back  as  soon  as  I  can.  I'm 
like  an'  old  black  sheep  in  a  flock  I  herded  when  I 
was  a  boy.  He  was  more  trouble  than  all  the  rest. 
Many  a  mile  I've  run  after  the  blamed  old  rascal,  but 
when  the  wolves  had  chops  for  supper  one  night  off 
him,  I  missed  him  more'n  any  sheep  of  the  lot.  I 
reckon  you  won't  have  much  devilment  goin'  on  till 
I  get  back  ;  but  I'll  wake  you  up  then,  for  I'll  be  good 
rested  an"  like  a  stabled  colt.  Better  laugh  than  cry, 
Carley,  any  time.  It's  fattenin'.  Come  back  when 
you  can.  It's  sorter  lonesome  here.  I'd  a  heap  rather 
be  after  the  bulls,  you  bet." 

I  didn't  get  to  see  Capt.  Dick  to  talk  to  him  until 
night,  he  was  so  busy,  but  we  were  on  guard  together 
then,  and  while  the  cattle  were  still  we  got  on  a  little 
knoll  where  we  could  watch  them,  and  he  told  me 
what  had  happened  while  I  was  gone. 

"  I  had  got  to  the  herd  after  leaving  you  and  stopped 
them  and  was  rounding  them  up  when  I  saw  Highover 
coming  with  his  pistol  in  his  hand.  I  felt  for  mine, 
but  it  was  gone.  The  mean  villains  had  taken  it  when 
they  tied  me.  I  had  to  run  and  leave  the  herd  and  all 
of  you,  or  take  the  chance  of  dashing  at  Highover  and 
jerking  him  off  his  horse  before  he  could  hit  me.  I 
tell  you,  Carley,  I  felt  rather  ticklish,  for  I  thought  my 
time  had  about  come.  Just  then  I  saw  Nasho  coming 
up  behind  him  full  tilt  swinging  his  rope.  You  bet, 
he  was  in  good  time,  for  Highover  would  have  got  me 
the  next  shot ;  but  before  he  could  cock  his  pistol 
again  Nasho's  rope  fell  over  his  head  and  he  was 


254  LIVE    BOYS. 

jerked  a higher  summerset  than  when  he  got 

his name.  Carley,  my  boy,"  and  he  put  his 

arm  around  me,  "  I  have  tried  to  stop  this  

swearing  on  your  account,  but  I  can't  think  about  that 
night  without  feeling  like  I  could  stand  on  my  head 
and  swear  my  boots  off.  Don't  get  into  the  way  of  it, 
Carley.  It's  a  bad  practice,  and  sticks  to  you  worse 
than  mesquite  gum,  once  you  get  into  it." 

"  I  jumped  off  my  horse,  snatched  the  hobbles  from 
his  neck,  tied  Highover's  hands  behind  his  back,  got 
Nasho's  hobbles  and  tied  his  feet,  so  I  knew  he'd 
stay  there  till  judgment  day,  if  somebody  didn't  cut 
him  loose,  and  away  me  and  Nasho  went  after  the 
herd  which  had  broke  and  run  again  when  Highover 
shot  at  me.  The  moon  had  gone  down  by  that  time 
and  we  had  only  starlight  to  go  by,  but  we  caught  up 
with  them  directly  and  was  rounding  them  in  and  get 
ting  them  quiet  when  " — 

I  just  wish  you  could  have  seen,  Mr.  Morecamp, 
how  quick  that  herd  was  gone.  More'n  half  of  them 
was  lying  down,  but  they  bounced  up  and  was  off  in  a 
second,  and  nothing  in  the  world  to  get  scared  at, 
unless  it  was  a  sneeze  Beelzebub  give  just  then.  \Ve 
was  after  'em  in  a  second,  and  with  the  other  hands 
who  was  in  front  and  had  kept  'em  well  checked  up, 
we  brought  'em  all  back  to  the  bed-ground  again  in  a 
few  minutes.  We  rode  around  them  until  they  got 
quiet  again,  and  then  Capt.  Dick  and  me  went  back 
to  our  old  place. 

"  That's   just   the  way  the cattle  have  been 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  2$ 5 

doing  ever  since  that  night.  We  won't  get  no  more 
rest  till  we  get  through,  and  I'll  be  glad  when  they're 
sold  and  off  our  hands.  I  hope  to  the  Lord  we  won't 
have  a  bad  storm  before  we  are  done  with  them,  for 
they'll  scatter  so  bad  if  we  do  the  devil  himself  couldn't 
hold  them.  Col.  Hunt  ain't  a-going  to  sell  these  bulls 
to  be  delivered  in  Wyoming  or  Dakota,  not  if  I  know 
any  thing  about  it." 

"  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  we  had  started  them  back 
again  when  we  heard  galloping  feet  and  two  more 
pistol  shots,  and  off  went  the  mad  bulls  again  right 
over  the  ground  we  had  just  come.  I  had  forgot 
about  Highover  till  I  heard  two  awful  screams — o-o-gh, 
I  hear  them  now,  and  my  hair  'most  stands  on  end, 
and  I  knew  in  a  second  it  was  all  up  with  him.  We 
gathered  them  up  again  and  got  them  back  to  the  bed- 
ground  this  time,  and  the  boys  managed  to  keep  them 
there  the  rest  of  the  night ;  you  know  it  was  nearly 
day  then.  The  next  day,  or  that  morning  rather,  while 
the  bulls  were  feeding,  I  found  that  the  last  shots  me 
and  Nasho  had  heard  was  between  Black  Jack  and 
Gen.  Foote.  Mose  Baker  and  the  Gen.  was  rounding 
up  some  cattle  when  Black  Jack  rode  up  and  shot  at 
Mose.  Gen.  Foot  out  with  his  old  horse-pistol  and 
shot  at  him  but  missed,  but  before  he  could  fire  again 
he  ran  up  to  him  and  brought  him  a  lick  over  the 
head  with  the  barrel  that  stretched  him  out  ;  the 
pluckiest  thing  I  ever  knew  a  darkey  to  do.  Mose 
had  the  good  sense  to  get  down  and  take  his  pistol 
away,  and  then  they  struck  out  after  the  herd  again." 


256  LIVE    BOYS. 

'  The  next  morning  when  the  cattle  were  grazing 
and  every  thing  was  quieted  down  a  little,  I  rode  to 
the  nearest  herds  and  asked  the  bosses  to  come  over 
to  our  herd  with  me.  When  they  got  there  I  told 
them  what  had  happened,  and  that  I  had  one  of  the 
Mexicans  tied,  that  I  was  satisfied  Highover  was  dead 
and  I  reckoned  Black  Jack  had  got  away.  They  said 
we  must  find  out,  and  we  started  to  look  for  them. 
We  found  Highover  first,  what  was  left  of  him.  The 
cattle  had  just  trod  him  into  a  jelly,  and  one  had  evi- 
dently caught  its  foot  in  the  rope  that  tied  his  feet 
and  dragged  him  apiece.  There  was  hardly  enough 
left  of  him  to  bury.  I've  seen  men  pretty  badly  torn 
up  by  cannon  balls  and  shells,  Charley,  but  I  never  saw 
any  thing  to  equal  that  corpse  that  had  been  run  over 
by  a  stampeded  herd.  It  was  just  horrible.  That 
evening  they  sent  me  some  hands,  and  we  wrapped 
what  was  left  of  him  in  his  blankets  and  laid  him 
under  a  little  bank  where  a  wolf  had  had  a  den,  and 
caved  the  earth  in  on  him,  for  we  didn't  have  any 
thing  to  dig  with,  and  just  left  the  grave  so  without 
any  thing  to  show  what  it  was.  We  didn't  have  any 
thing  to  make  a  head-board  of,  and  if  we  had,  when 
you  can't  say  any  thing  more  for  a  man  than  we  could 
a'  said  for  him,  I  think  the  least  said  the  better,  and 
none  at  all  best. 

"  Then  we  went  to  the  place  where  Gen.  Foote  said 
he  had  knocked  Black  Jack  off  his  horse.  He  wasn't 
there,  but  his  trail  showed  he  had  crawled  off,  and 
we  didn't  go  far  till  we  found  him  sitting  under  a  lit- 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        25  / 

tie  bank  by  a  little  hole  of  water,  washing  his  bloody 
head.  He  started  to  draw  his  pistol  when  he  saw  us 
coming,  but  he  saw  in  a  second  that  wasn't  no  use, 
and  just  sat  still.  We  put  him  on  a  horse  and  took 
him  to  camp,  the  man  whose  horse  he  was  riding 
walking  by  him  to  keep  him  from  falling  off.  He 
didn't  have  any  thing  to  say,  but  after  he  got  to  camp 
and  had  some  breakfast  and  hot  coffee  he  was  ready 
enough  to  talk.  He  denied  most  positively  shooting 
at  Mose  Baker,  said  he  was  just  trying  to  round  up 
the  cattle  when  he  felt  a  tremendous  lick  on  his  head 
and  fell  off  his  horse,  and  didn't  know  any  thing  more 
until  he  felt  the  sun  shining  in  his  face.  We  asked 
him  why  he  didn't  start  towards  camp,  and  he  said  he 
didn't  know  which  way  camp  was,  but  knew  from  the 
lay  of  the  land  that  the  way  he  went  was  the  nearest 
to  water,  and  that  was  what  he  wanted  worst." 

I  asked  the  men  what  ought  to  be  done  with  'em, 
and  they  said  there  wasn't  but  one  thing  to  be  done, 
and  that  was  to  swing  'em  to  the  first  tree.  I  told 
'em  I  didn't  like  that  way  of  doing,  and  at  least  the 
fellows  was  entitled  to  a  fair  trial,  and  the  jury  oughtn't 
all  to  be  bosses  either.  There  was  another  herd  come 
up  about  that  time,  and  they  said-  there  was  another 
one  about  a  mile  and  a  half  behind  them,  so  we  went 
back  and  got  that  boss  to  come  up.  After  talking  the 
matter  over,  we  agreed  to  get  twelve  hands  and  give 
the  fellows  a  regular  trial,  and  whatever  the  jury  said 
we  would  do.  They  all  come  in  about  two  o'clock 
that  evening,  and  we  got  to  work,  for  there  wasn't 


258  LIVE    BOYS. 

no  time  to  lose.  One  of  the  bosses  was  made  Judge, 
and  Nasho  and  me  and  Gen.  Foot  was  the  witnesses, 
for  you  was  gone  and  poor  Bill  couldn't  speak  for  him- 
self. We  brought  up  the  prisoners,  but  Wellman 
wouldn't  say  nothing,  and  Black  Jack  only  swore  he 
didn't  know  any  thing  about  any  plan  to  steal  the 
herd.  The  jury  wan't  many  minutes  in  concluding 
that  there  wasn't  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  was  to 
swing  'em.  The  had  tried  to  kill  me  and  Mose  Baker, 
and  maybe  had  killed  poor  Bill,  and  they  ought  to  have 
what  they  was  trying  to  bring  on  honest  men.  We 
took  'em  down  to  the  branch  where  you  see  that  dead 
cottonwood,  put  'em  on  horses,  tied  ropes  round  their 
necks, — one  of  the  boys  clumb  the  tree  and  fastened 
'em  to  a  limb, — and  at  the  word,  two  quick  cuts  made 
the  horses  jump  from  under  'em  and  left  'em  swing- 
ing. Black  Jack  begged  like  a  dog  to  the  last,  but 
Wellman  never  said  a  word.  We  just  waited  long 
enough  to  be  sure  that  the  life  was  clean  gone  out  of 
'em,  and  then  took  'em  down,  laid  'em  under  the  bank, 
throwed  some  old  brush  over  them  and  shoved  the 
bank  down  on  'em  and  left  'em,  an'  I  reckon  they'll 
stay  there  till  Gabriel  blows  his  horn.  When  we  got 
back  to  camp  dinner  was  ready,  and  after  that  I  treated 
'em  all  to  some  whiskey  I  had  brought  for  chills  or 
snake-bites,  and  the  crowd  broke  up. 

"  What  became  of  Aunt  Tony  and  Schezeredicks  ? " 

The  last  one  is  lying  out  there  in  the  prairie,  what 

the  wolves  have  left  of  him.     Whistling  Bill  had  laid 

him  out  cold  enough.     That  other  yeller  rascal  must 


CHARLEY    AND    NASHO    IN    TEXAS.  259 

have  scooted  when  he  seen  how  things  was  going,  for 
nobody  has  ever  seen  any  thing  of  him  since. 

"  And  the  horses  ? " 

"  Saved  'em  all.  When  Nasho  snatched  Highover 

off  Beelzebub,  the scoundrel — it's  a  shame  to 

cuss  a  dead  man,  but  I  can't  help  it  when  I  think 
about  him  a  ridin'  old  Beelzebub — he  just  cut  out  from 
there  and  went  to  camp  a-flying,  and  next  mornin'  we 
found  Black  Jack's  horse  saddled  with  the  rest  of  'em. 
We  ain't  lost  no  cattle  'cept  one  that  broke  his  neck 
out  there  close  to  the  wagon,  though  we've  got  several 
lame  ones  that  it'll  be  a  tight  shave  for  to  get  through, 
and  one  lame  horse  that  won't  be  fit  to  back  for  a 
month,  but  we  are  just  a  goin'  to  catch  fits  with  these 
bulls  the  rest  of  the  way.  They'll  stampede  from  here 
to  Ellis.  Did  Col.  Hunt  say  any  thing  about  when 
he  would  be  back  to  Ellis  ? " 

Yes  ;  he  said  he  would  be  there  when  you  got  in, 
and  before  if  he  could  get  through  with  his  business 
in  Kansas  City. 

"  You  bet  I'm  glad  to  hear  that,  for  I'm  powerful 
hot  to  get  rid  of  this  herd,  and  if  the  Col.  don't  sell 
the  first  chance,  he'll  have  to  get  another  boss  for  this 
outfit,  that's  all." 

The  cattle  began  to  get  restless  and  we  had  to  quit 
talking  and  ride  around  them  to  keep  them  quiet. 

The  next  morning  early  the  doctor  started  for  Ellis 
with  Whistling  Bill  in  the  ambulance,  and  by  nine 
o'clock  we  were  on  the  Trail  again. 

When  we  got  to  the  Arkansas  it  was  up  some,  and  we 


260  LIVE    BOYS. 

had  to  ferry  the  wagon  over  on  a  little  scow  there  was 
there.  We  put  two  ropes  to  it,  for  there  wasn't  any  fer- 
ry rope,  and  two  of  the  boys  hitched  them  to  the  horns 
of  their  saddles  and  started  across  with  it.  About  two 
thirds  of  the  way  over  it  stuck  on  a  sand  bar  and  they 
couldn't  drag  it  off.  A  few  feet  the  other  side  the 
water  was  swimming,  and  the  horses  couldn't  get  a 
foothold  to  pull.  The  river  was  rising  and  it  was 
nearly  sundown,  and  things  looked  pretty  squally  for 
the  wagon.  I  galloped  up  to  the  herd,  got  a  couple 
of  hands  and  come  back,  and  we  stripped  and  went  in 
and  fairly  lifted  the  heavy  old  scow  out  of  her  bed  in 
the  sand.  That  night  we  had  a  thunder-storm,  and 
the  cattle  kept  us  busy  all  night.  A  herd  near  by  ran 
into  ours,  and  we  were  kept  in  the  hills  nearly  all  next 
day  to  give  them  a  chance  to  cut  out.  Five  more 
days  brought  us  in  sight  of  Ellis. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CHARLEY  CATCHES  SOME  PETS. LASSOING  A  BUFFALO 

BULL. OFF  FOR  THE  CENTENNIAL. 

WE  didn't  stay  there  more  than  a  month  before 
Col.  Hunt  sold  the  herd.  Herding  was  a  heap 
easier  than  driving.  I  caught  two  prairie  dogs  and 
made  a  cage  for  them  out  of  a  box,  but  I  had  to  get  tin 
to  line  it  with,  for  their  teeth  are  so  sharp  and  strong 
they  would  cut  through  the  wood.  I  bought  a  book  that 
told  me  all  about  trapping  animals  and  skinning  them, 
and  dressing  their  skins  and  stuffing  them.  I  caught 
three  prairie  chickens  in  snares,  and  trapped  two  bad- 
gers. They  are  just  like  coons,  only  they  are  a  little 
heavier  and  have  longer  claws,  and  live  in  holes  in 
the  ground.  I  reckon  if  coons  were  brought  here  they 
would  have  to  learn  to  live  in  holes,  for  there  ain't  any 
trees.  It's  the  worst  country  to  get  lost  in  I  ever  saw. 
It's  all  exactly  alike,  covered  with,  thick,  short  buffalo 
grass  about  four  inches  high,  and  often  not  a  tree  or 
bush  for  twenty  miles.  One  time  we  had  to  use  buf- 
falo manure  to  cook  with  for  several  days,  because 
there  wasn't  a  stick  of  timber  on  the  Trail.  They  call 
the  manure  "chips,"  and  sometimes  when  you  ask  a 


262  LIVE    BOYS. 

man  "  how's  wood  ahead  ? "  he  will  say — "  plenty  of 
buffalo  chips."  When  you  get  a  mile  away  from 
camp  there  ain't  a  thing  to  tell  you  where  it  is.  The 
prairie  is  all  alike,  and  the  wagon  being  down  near  the 
creek  you  can't  see  that,  and  it's  pretty  much  guess, 
work  whether  you  hit  camp  or  not.  There  were 
plenty  of  antelope  around  and  sometimes  they  would 
get  into  the  herd.  Nearly  everybody  said  they  were 
the  fastest  animals  in  the  world,  and  a  horse  couldn't 
catch  them ;  but  one  day  when  I  wasn't  on  herd  I  saw 
a  little  bunch  out  on  a  level  part  of  the  prairie,  and 
saddled  Comanche  and  started  towards  them.  Before 
they  began  to  notice  me  I  got  off  my  horse  and  get- 
ting behind  him  drove  him  along  letting  him  stop 
every  two  or  three  steps  as  if  he  was  only  feeding.  I 
got  up  in  about  two  hundred  yards  and  then,  as  they 
began  to  be  scary,  I  got  into  the  saddle  and  started  for 
them.  They  didn't  run  fast  at  first,  and  I  let  Coman- 
che out  and  was  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them  before 
they  knew  it.  How  they  did  clip  it  then !  You  could 
have  most  covered  the  bunch  with  a  blanket.  They 
seemed  to  be  almost  flying,  but  the  ground  was  good 
and  Comanche  kept  crawling  on  to  them.  When  we 
got  within  fifty  yards  the  bunch  broke.  I  picked  out 
the  biggest  buck,  touched  Comanche  with  my  heels, 
clucked  to  him,  and  I  tell  you  he  just  let  himself  out. 
In  less'n  half  a  mile  I  was  close  enough  to  swing  my 
rope,  and  the  first  throw  dropped  squarely  over  his 
head.  When  I  checked  up  the  antelope  turned  a  dou- 
ble summerset  and  never  got  up  again.  His  neck 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        263 

was  broken.  I  petted  Comanche  a  little  and  then 
took  the  bridle  off  so  he  could  graze.  I  knew  then  he 
was  fast,  for  there  ain't  many  horses  can  catch  an  an- 
telope. The  boys  call  them  "  goats  "  sometimes,  be- 
cause they  are  chunky  like  goats  and  have  little  short, 
two-pronged  horns,  but  they  don't  run  like  goats.  Me 
and  Comanche  could  swear  to  that.  Then  I  began  to 
skin  my  buck,  and  was  as  careful  as  I  could  be.  I  left 
the  feet  and  head  on.  It  took  me  three  hours,  for  his 
feet  and  head  were  a  heap  of  trouble. 

When  I  got  to  camp  I  washed  the  skin  out  clean 
inside,  cleaned  the  head  out,  took  the  eyes  out,  sewed 
it  up  again  and  stuffed  it.  I  filled  the  legs  and  neck 
with  oats  I  had  bought  for  Comanche,  and  made  a 
frame  to  keep  the  body  tight,  and  filled  the  frame  with 
dry  grass.  Then  I  propped  it  up  and  put  a  blanket 
over  it  to  keep  off  the  dew  and  sun.  It  cured  first 
rate  and  looked  very  natural  only  it  didn't  have  any 
eyes.  The  first  time  the  wagon  went  to  town  I  sent 
it  in,  and  the  merchant  where  Capt.  Dick  bought  our 
supplies  put  it  away  for  me. 

I  caught  two  big  rattlesnakes  and  shut  them  up  in 
a  box.  I  didn't  have  much  trouble  catching  them,  be- 
cause I  chloroformed  them  ;  but  they  were  a  heap  of 
trouble  until  I  could  get  a  box  for  them.  I  tied  them 
together  head  and  tail  until  my  box  came,  because  if 
I  had  staked  them  out  separately  they  would  have 
choked  themselves  to  death  or  bitten  themselves.  I 
found  out  where  their  poison  is.  It  is  in  a  little  bag 
at  the  root  of  their  fangs.  Their  fangs  are  curved, 


264  LIVE    BOYS. 

and  each  one  has  a  little  groove  on  the  under  side 
from  the  root  to  the  point,  and  if  you  pry  one's  mouth 
open  wide  you  can  see  the  poison  come  out  of  the  bag 
and  run  down  the  groove  in  the  fang.  For  fear  my 
snakes  might  bite  somebody  sometime  I  gave  them 
chloroform  and  pulled  their  fangs  out  with  a  pair  of 
bullet  moulds.  I  fed  them  on  bugs,  and  frogs  and 
meat. 

One  night  two  Englishmen  staid  at  our  camp  that 
were  fitting  out  for  a  hunt  on  the  plains.  They  had 
splendid  horses  and  the  finest  kind  of  rifles  and  pis- 
tols, and  two  men  to  take  care  of  their  horses  and 
dogs  and  another  one  to  cook. 

Next  morning  I  was  out  early  looking  after  the 
horses  and  saw  a  buffalo  bull  not  a  half  mile  from 
camp.  When  I  told  it  in  camp  the  Englishmen 
wanted  to  go  and  kill  him  right  off,  but  I  told  them 
he  was  my  meat,  and  I  had  a  great  mind  to  rope  him. 
One  of  the  Englishmen  said  I  couldn't  do  it.  Capt 
Dick  offered  to  bet  him  fifty,  dollars  that  me  and 
Nasho  could  rope  and  tie  him.  The  Englishman 
took  him  up. 

After  breakfast  we  started  and  found  him  directly 
feeding  along  down  a  dry  hollow.  We  got  into  an- 
other hollow  that  the  one  he  was  feeding  in  ran  into, 
and  waited  for  him.  He  didn't  see  us  until  he  was 
in  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  us,  when  we 
went  for  him.  I  was  to  rope  his  head  and  Nasho  his 
feet,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  promised  to  stay  behind 
and  not  get  in  the  way. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        26$ 

We  caught  him  before  he  had  run  more  than  half  f 
mile,  but  I  missed  the  first  throw  because  his  horns 
were  so  short,  and  his  hair  so  long  and  thick  that  the 
noose  fell  off.  I  made  my  noose  smaller  next  time 
and  caught  him  round  the  throat  and  one  horn.  He 
was  so  big  and  heavy  I  most  dreaded  to  check  up  and 
stop  him,  but  when  I  drew  my  reins  Comanche  drop- 
ped back  on  his  haunches,  set  himself  hard,  and  turned 
him  a  summerset.  He  was  up  like  a  flash  and  after 
me  before  Nasho  could  get  a  chance,  and  I  had  to  get 
from  there  lively.  I  reckon  he  ran  me  half  a  mile.  I 
kept  thinking  I  would  have  to  turn  my  rope  loose,  but 
I  didn't  want  to  do  that  with  those  Englishmen  watch- 
ing us,  and  managed  to  stick  to  it,  though  the  old  bull 
come  in  an  ace  of  catching  me  two  or  three  times.  I 
reckon  if  Comanche  had  put  his  foot  in  a  hole  it  would 
have  been  all  up  with  us.  I  began  to  think  he  wasn't 
going  to  stop  running  me,  and  I  would  have  to  throw 
down  my  rope  and  get  away  from  him  anyhow,  when 
Nasho  came  up  behind,  wrapped  his  tail  round  the 
horn  of  his  saddle  and  gave  him  a  terrible  fall.  Up 
he  came  in  a  second  and  went  for  Nasho  this  time,  but 
Comanche  was  ready  and  made  him  change  ends  again, 
and  this  time  Nasho  had  his  rope  round  his  hind  legs 
before  he  could  get  fairly  on  his  feet,  and  we  stretched 
him.  He  was  so  strong  and  quick  that  we  had  hard 
work  to  keep  him  down,  but  our  horses  set  to  him 
faithfully.  When  he  got  pretty  well  chokea  and  wor- 
ried, down  Nasho  slipped  off  his  horse,  ran  up  to  him 
easy,  drew  his  tail  between  his  hind  legs  and  set  to 


266  LIVE    BOYS. 

him.  He  surged  once  or  twice  but  couldn't  get  up. 
Then  Nasho  managed  to  get  the  rope  round  his  hind 
feet  round  his  fore  ones  too,  and  drew  them  close  to- 
gether and  tied  them  hard  and  fast.  The  rest  of  the 
party  had  come  up  and  were  watching  us.  Nasho  let 
go  the  tail  and  got  on  his  horse,  and  I  threw  down  my 
rope  and  told  Capt.  Dick  there  was  his  bull.  He 
asked  the  Englishman  what  he  wanted  to  do  with  him. 
He  said  he  didn't  know — that  he  couldn't  kill  him  now 
that  he  was  tied,  and  he  couldn't  do  any  thing  with 
him  if  we  let  him  up  :  he  guessed  we  would  have  to 
turn  him  loose.  Capt.  Dick  said  he  would  mark  him 
anyhow,  and  cut  a  slit  out  of  each  ear,  and  bobbed  his 
tail.  Nasho  untied  his  fore  feet  and  then  ran  to  his 
horse  and  stretched  his  hind  ones  out  again.  I  rode 
up  to  his  head  and  reached  down  and  took  the  rope 
off,  and  drew  off  out  of  the  way  a  little.  Nasho  un- 
fastened his  rope  from  the  saddle  and  gave  it  a  twirl 
that  made  it  rap  the  bull  on  the  side.  He  bounced 
up  and  took  after  the  Englishman,  but  he  had  a  good 
horse  and  soon  left  him.  The  rope  dropped  off  his 
feet  and  Nasho  watched  where  it  fell  and  picked  it 
up. 

The  Englishman  paid  his  bet,  and  then  gave  me 
and  Nasho  ten  dollars  apiece.  We  didn't  want  to 
take  it,  but  he  said  we  must,  for  he  wouldn't  have 
missed  seeing  it  for  five  hundred  dollars. 

When  Col.  Hunt  sold  out  we  all  went  in  to  Ellis  to 
settle  and  he  paid  off.  Whistling  Bill  was  getting 
well  fast,  and  was  staying  at  a  house  where  he  was 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        26/ 

taken  good  care  of.  Capt.  Dick  said  he  wouldn't 
have  left  him  if  he  hadn't  been  sure  he  would  be  taken 
care  of.  Col.  Hunt  paid  all  his  expenses  and  his 
wages  just  the  same  as  if  he  had  been  on  herd  all  the 
time. 

Col.  Hunt  took  mine  and  Nasho's  horses,  all  except 
Comanche  and  Nasho's  pack  pony  he  had  traded  from 
some  Indians  that  came  to  camp  while  I  was  gone  to 
Ellis,  at  the  same  price  we  paid  for  them.  Then  he 
gave  us  each  a  fine  Mexican  saddle  with  all  the  iron- 
work about  it,  the  rings  and  buckles,  heavy  silver  plate, 
and  housings  of  the  finest  leopard  skin,  and  a  fine 
saddle-blanket  and  bridle  apiece  to  go  with  them.  He 
also  gave  us  a  fine  suit  of  embroidered  buckskin 
apiece,  worked  with  silk  thread.  He  told  us  he  knew 
most  of  the  railroad  agents  clear  on  to  New  York,  and 
he  had  procured  tickets  for  us  to  Chicago,  and  would 
give  us  a  letter  to  the  agent  there,  and  he  thought  he 
would  take  us  on  to  Philadelphia  without  charging  us 
any  thing.  He  said  for  us  to  leave  our  horses  and 
saddles  with  him  and  he  would  take  care  of  them  for 
us  until  we  wanted  them.  He  said  if  I  would  take 
my  stuffed  antelope  and  my  pets  to  the  Centennial  he 
had  no  doubt  I  could  sell  them  for  a  good  price.  He 
went  with  us  to  the  depot  and  introduced  us  to  the 
agent,  and  told  us  to  write  to  him  at  Ellis  if  we 
wanted  any  thing  any  time,  and  then  bade  us  good-by, 
because  he  was  going  to  Denver.  We  thanked  him 
for  his  presents  and  being  so  good  to  us,  but  he  said  we 
had  saved  him  a  great  deal  more  than  he  had  given  us. 


268  LIVE    BOYS. 

That  evening  we  went  with  Capt.  Dick  and  staid 
with  Whistling  Bill.  We  hated  to  leave  him,  but 
knew  he  was  in  good  hands,  and  that  it  wouldn't  be 
long  before  he  could  go  home  himself.  Next  morning 
Capt.  Dick  started  back  for  Texas  in  a  wagon.  Mose 
Baker  and  the  negroes  went  with  him  and  drove  the 
loose  horses.  The  cook  went  too.  When  we  came 
to  tell  them  all  good-bye  we  felt  like  we  would  like  to 
start  home  with  them  too  ;  and  yet  we  was  glad  we 
wasn't  going.  Capt.  Dick  told  us  we  must  be  sure 
and  come  and  see  him  when  we  came  back  to  Texas, 
and  he  hoped  we  would  go  over  the  Trail  with  him 
next  year.  We  all  shook  good-by,  they  rolled  out 
for  Texas,  and  in  an  hour  me  and  Nasho  was  whirling 
along  toward  St.  Louis. 

Everybody  was  good  to  us  on  the  road.  The  con- 
ductors passed  us  free  on  Col.  Hunt's  letter,  and  at 
the  hotel  where  we  stopped  at  Chicago  they  didn't 
charge  us  any  board.  We  got  through  to  Philadelphia 
without  any  trouble,  and  my  pets  was  all  right 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

AT  THE  CENTENNIAL. HOW  THEY  MAKE  MONEY.  — 

CHARLEY'S  LITTLE  FRIEND    AND   HOW   HE  FOUND 
HER. 

I  THINK  I  must  take  Charley's  story  out  of  his 
hands  here.  My  readers  will  remember  that  I 
met  him  at  the  Centennial,  and,  though  I  have  not 
told  them  so,  knew  what  he  was  doing  there  up  to  the 
time  I  left.  There  was  scarcely  a  day  that  I  did  not 
meet  him,  and  sometimes  have  long  talks  with  him 
and  without  his  knowing  it  I  think  I  helped  him  some 
by  writing  to  the  papers  about  the  two  Young  Texas 
Rancheros  and  their  exhibition.  For  Charley  was 
not  there  ten  days  before  he  thought  he  might  make 
some  money  as  well  as  pay  his  way  and  see  all  the 
exhibition  too.  Somebody  who  met  and  took  an  in- 
terest in  him — and  somebody  was  doing  that  every 
day,  for  he  was  so  manly  and  straightforward  and  in- 
dependent and  yet  a  genuine  boy  without  a  particle 
of  that  impertinent  fastness  which  marks  and  makes 
so  unpleasant  so  many  boys  who  are  brought  forward 
earlier  than  boys  usually  are — took  him  to  Gen. 
Hawley  to  find  a  place  for  him.  Gen.  Hawley  most 


2/O  LIVE    BOYS. 

kindly — for  he  had  a  dozen  men's  work  to  do — gave 
him  a  note  to  the  superintendent  of  the  stock  depart- 
ment, and  he  at  once  gave  Charley  and  Nasho  employ- 
ment in  the  stock-yard.  Their  work  was  not  heavy,  to 
help  feed,  water  and  look  after  the  stock  on  ex- 
hibition, and  being  mostly  to  be  done  early  and  late 
left  them  plenty  of  time  for  sight-seeing.  One  day 
while  looking  at  some  of  the  rough  whips  and  quirts 
and  saddles  and  other  things  made  by  the  natives  of 
South  Africa,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  and  Nasho 
might  make  some  money  by  making  pretty  bridle 
reins  out  of  white  and  black  horse-hair,  and  quirts 
plaided  from  different  colored  leathers,  and  lassoes  of 
rawhide,  and  cabrasses  of  horse-hair.  I  think  Charley 
would  rather  have  spent  all  his  time  looking  at  the 
million  things  on  exhibition,  and  reading  papers  and 
books  about  them,  but  he  was  anxious  to  have  some 
money  to  buy  some  things  for  his  Uncle  and  Aunt 
when  he  went  back  to  them.  So  he  and  Nasho  set 
to  work  when  he  had  spare  time,  for  he  made  it  a 
point  to  spend  several  hours  every  day,  except  during 
the  time  the  cattle  were  on  exhibition  in  the  ring  when 
they  had  to  be  with  them  all  the  time,  in  the  exhibi- 
tion, and  they  had  very  good  success  selling  what  they 
made.  Then  Nasho  suggested  that  he  could  do  bet- 
ter making  wax  figures,  and  Charley  bought  wax  and 
the  little  tools  he  wanted,  and  secured  a  corner  in  one 
of  the  stalls  of  the  Main  Building  where  he  could  put 
their  products  on  exhibition.  He  also  fitted  up  a  table 
for  his  pets  in  the  stall,  and  put  his  stuffed  antelope 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2? I 

in  one  corner,  and  in  a  day  or  two  they  had  more 
orders  than  they  could  fill  at  good  prices.  Not  un- 
frequently  a  gentleman  would  come  to  them  and  get 
Nasho  to  make  for  him  in  wax  an  exact  copy  of  some 
article  on  exhibition  on  the  grounds,  and  would  always 
pay  well  for  it.  Although  they  were  so  successful 
with  their  work  and  had  more  orders  than  they  could 
fill,  they  did  not  give  up  their  places  in  the  stock-yard, 
because  the  work  was  not  hard  and  was  a  change  from 
their  other  work  of  which  they  often  grew  very  tired. 
One  day  a  gentleman  who  had  bought  some  things  from 
them  became  interested  in  Charley's  narrative  of  their 
life  on  the  Trail,  and  said  he  would  give  ten  dollars 
to  see  them  ride  and  rope  something  on  horseback- 
Charley  told  him  they  would  be  glad  to  show  him  how 
it  was  done  if  they  had  their  horses  there,  and  a  place 
to  rope  in.  That  led  to  telling  about  Comanche, 
and  the  gentleman  became  so  much  interested  that  he 
told  them  if  one  of  them  would  go  to  Ellis  and  bring 
their  horses  to  Philadelphia,  he  would  arrange  for  a 
place  where  they  could  ride,  and  guarantee  them 
enough  money  to  pay  for  their  expenses  in  bringing 
and  keeping  them  there.  So  Charley  started  to  Ellis 
leaving  Nasho  to  look  after  their  corner  stall  and  his 
pets. 

The  gentleman  succeeded  in  obtaining  permission 
for  them  to  exhibit  in  one  of  the  lots  of  the  stock-yard, 
and  let  it  be  known  that  an  exhibition  of  skill  in 
riding  would  be  given  by  two  young  boys  from  Texas 
on  such  a  day  and  hour.  Quite  a  crowd  gathered  at 


2/2  LIVE    BOYS. 

the  time  appointed,  and  when  Charley  and  Nasho 
rode  into  the  ring  in  their  buckskin  suits,  their  beau- 
tiful horses  well  set  off  by  the  fine  saddles  and  the 
picturesque  riding-suits  of  their  young  masters,  the 
interest  of  the  onlookers,  became  very  great.  Their 
style  of  riding,  so  much  more  easy,  natural  and  grace- 
ful than  that  which  is  taught  at  riding-schools,  and  is 
so  general  among  people  who  have  not  learned  to  ride 
by  constant  practice,  gave  great  satisfaction,  and  when 
Charley  swept  by  at  full  speed  and  bending  low  in 
his  saddle  picked  from  the  ground  a  silver  dollar 
which  some  one  had  thrown  there  as  a  test,  the  ap- 
plause was  loud  and  hearty.  It  was  arranged  then 
that  they  should  give  such  an  exhibition  once  a  week, 
and  they  always  had  a  crowd  and,  better  still,  the  hat 
which  was  passed  around  for  them  always  came  back 
with  a  good  many  dollars,  and  halves,  and  quarters 
and  dimes  in  it. 

They  had  only  given  four  or  five  of  these  exhibitions 
when  they  were  offered  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  a  week  to  go  to  New  York  and  Boston  and 
Long  Branch  and  other  places,  and  give  their  exhibi- 
tions there.  All  their  expenses  were  to  be  paid,  and 
all  the  arrangements  made  for  them,  so  they  would 
have  nothing  to  do  but  ride.  Charley  did  not  like  to 
leave  the  exhibition,  but  that  was  more  money  than 
they  were  making  there,  and  as  they  did  not  intend 
being  away  more  than  a  month,  he  consented.  They 
were  well  received  everywhere  and  cleared  over  five 
hundred  dollars  on  the  trip. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2/3 

Charley  and  I  used  often  to  visit  different  portions 
of  the  grounds  together  and  talk  about  what  we  saw. 
I  noticed  he  was  very  much  interested  in  the  people 
of  different  countries,  the  style  of  houses  of  other 
nations,  of  which  there  were  a  number,  and  every 
thing  belonging  to  them,  and  particularly  in  the 
weapons  and  other  things  used  by  uncivilized  people. 
Collections  of  the  cured  heads  and  skins  of  the  wild 
animals  of  different  countries  were  made  to  be  photo- 
graphed, and  he  took  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  them, 
particularly  those  from  Africa.  He  used  often  to  say 
to  me  how  much  he  would  like  to  make  a  hunting 
trip  through  South  Africa,  and  kill  some  of  the  many 
kinds  of  Antelope  that  are  found  there,  and  the  hyenas, 
and  lions,  and  giraffes,  and  hippopotami,  and  elephants, 
and  ostriches.  I  have  very  little  doubt  that  he  will 
go  there  some  day.  If  he  does,  I  hope  he  will  write  a 
book  and  tell  us  about  his  adventures,  for  I  am  certain 
it  would  be  very  interesting,  for  there  are  more  wild 
animals,  and  of  more  different  kinds,  in  South  Africa 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  and  I  believe  all 
boys  like  to  read  about  hunting  adventures.  I  did 
when  I  was  a  boy,  and  do  yet  as  much  as  ever. 

Two  or  three  of  the  photographers  at  the  exhibition 
were  very  anxious  to  get  pictures  of  Charley  and 
Nasho  in  their  riding-suits  on  their  horses,  but 
Charley  would  never  consent,  for  he  knew  they 
wanted  to  sell  them,  and  he  did  not  want  to  be  up 
everywhere  for  sale.  I  wanted  a  picture  of  them  my- 
self, and  having  found  a  photographer  I  knew  I  could 
18 


2/4  LIVE    BOYS. 

depend  upon,  Charley  agreed  to  be  taken.  The  ar- 
tist succeeded  in  getting  a  very  good  picture,  and 
then  took  one  of  each  of  them  separately  without  his 
horse.  Charley  sent  one  of  each  home  to  his  Uncle 
and  Aunt,  and  one  to  Capt.  Dick.  I  kept  one  of  each, 
and  the  rest  were  given  to  Charley  except  one  which 
he  allowed  the  artist  to  keep.  Then  the  negative 
was  destroyed  so  that  it  might  not  get  into  any  other 
hands,  and  other  pictures  be  taken  from  it. 

There  is  one  other  thing  that  I  do  not  like  to  speak 
of,  and  yet  it  ought  to  be  told,  because  it  may  have 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  Charley's  life.  Although  his 
life  has  been  rather  a  rough  one,  his  grammar  not  as 
correct  as  it  should  and  will  be,  and  although  he  gave 
exhibitions  of  his  skill  in  riding  for  money,  there  is 
nothing  of  the  rough  about  him  in  appearance  or 
manners.  Naturally  polite  and  full  of  good  feeling, 
he  has  learned  rapidly  from  those  about  him,  and 
though  there  is  a  certain  wildness  of  manner  and 
freedom  of  action  about  him  that  tells  at  once  he  was 
not  reared  in  a  city,  his  courtesy  is  so  genuine  that 
almost  every  one  that  meets  him  likes  him. 

One  day  a  gentleman  and  his  wife  were  strolling 
along  one  side  of  the  stock-yard  stopping  frequently 
to  look  at  some  of  the  fine  animals  on  exhibition 
therein.  A  little  girl  about  eight  years  old  was  with 
them,  but  she  had  become  so  much  interested  in  a 
cute,  shaggy  little  Shetland  pony  from  the  rough,  ice- 
clad  hills  of  Ireland,  that  she  had  fallen  far  behind 
her  companions.  Through  carelessness  on  the  part 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        2/5 

of  some  attendant  a  gate  had  been  left  open,  and  a 
huge,  white,  shaggy  yak,  a  Tartar  ox,  which  had  been 
put  into  the  yard  for  a  day  or  two  until  he  could  be 
transferred  to  the  Zoological  grounds,  came  out,  and 
catching  sight  of  the  child's  red  cloak  dashed  at  her. 
She  was  too  much  alarmed  to  run,  but  began  to  scream. 
The  gentleman  was  too  far  ahead  to  have  been  able 
to  reach  her,  but  by  good  fortune  Charley  was  sitting 
on  the  fence  near  by,  and  attracted  by  her  cries. 
Springing  from  the  fence  he  snatched  up  a  blanket 
which  was  lying  near,  and  interposing  in  front  of  the 
charging  animal,  threw  it  over  his  head  in  such  a  way 
as  to  blind  him.  In  his  furious  efforts  to  rid  himself 
of  it  the  yak  thrust  his  horns  through  it,  but  instead 
of  relieving  him  that  only  fastened  it  the  more  firmly 
over  his  eyes  and  kept  him  blinded.  Seeing  there 
was  little  danger  from  that  source,  he  ran  to  the  little 
girl,  and  picking  her  up  carried  her  to  the  gentleman, 
who  was  coming  towards  him  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
and  showed  them  to  a  gate  inside  of  which  they 
would  be  safe.  Then  he  ran  back  to  the  struggling 
and  furious  animal  whose  hoarse  roars  of  rage  were 
attracting  a  crowd,  though  none  dared  approach  very 
nearly.  A  policeman  who  came  up  was  on  the  point 
of  shooting  the  bewildered  animal  which  was  whirling 
wildly  about  and  tangling  its  feet  in  the  folds  of 
the  blanket,  falling  and  rolling  on  the  ground,  but 
Charley  succeeded  in  checking  him,  and  getting  a 
rope  from  an  attendant  he  soon  had  the  animal  safely 
fastened  to  a  stout  post.  Another  rope  was  thrown 


2/6  LIVE    BOYS. 

over  his  horns,  and  several  stout  men  holding  firmly 
the  ends,  the  yak  was  soon  reconducted  to  the  small 
pen  out  of  which  he  had  escaped. 

The  next  day  the  gentleman  called  at  Charley's 
stall  to  thank  him  for  his  prompt  exposure  of  himself 
to  danger,  and  became  so  much  interested  in  him 
that  he  insisted  upon  his  visiting  them  at  their  hotel 
and  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  lady  and  her  little 
niece  whom  he  had  rescued.  When  he  came  Mrs. 
Lenton  was  no  less  interested  than  her  husband  had 
been,  and  little  Marion  was  soon  as  glad  to  welcome 
him  as  the  older  members  of  the  party  when  he  made 
his  weekly  visit  during  their  stay.  He  gave  her  some 
of  the  finest  figures  that  Nasho's  cunning  fingers 
could  fashion,  encased  in  handsome  glass  stands,  and 
when  at  his  parting  visit  previous  to  their  departure 
the  gentleman  asked  what  little  token  of  friendship 
he  could  leave  him,  I  think  Charley  astonished  him- 
self not  less  than  the  others  by  asking  for  her  picture. 
It  was  promptly  given  by  the  fair  hands  of  little  Miss 
Marion  herself,  and  with  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit 
them  at  their  beautiful  country  home  in  distant  Min- 
nesota. Are  you  ready  to  ask  what  has  all  this  to  do 
with  Charley's  future  life  ?  Wait  and  see.  Time 
solves  many  a  mystery. 

Soon  after  that  event,  about  the  middle  of  September, 
I  left  the  exhibition  and  started  to  Texas,  and  I  leave 
Charley  to  tell  how  he  got  back  to  Texas  across  the 
plains  in  winter. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

STARTING  FOR  TEXAS.  CHARLEY    FINDS  A  STRANGER 

IN    NEED    AND  HELPS    HIM.  A  LONELY    BURIAL.  — 

ON  TRAIL  AGAIN. 

I  ALWAYS  like  to  see  the  last  of  any  thing,  Mr. 
Morecamp,  that  I  have  enough  to  do  with  to  get 
interested  in.  I  have  often  when  cow  hunting  been  the 
last  one  to  leave  camp,  because  I  felt  like  I  wanted 
the  last  look.  And  I  was  real  glad  to  have  a  chance 
to  see  the  last  of  the  Centennial.  I  won't  try  to  tell 
you  any  thing  about  it.  You  know  there  was  a  crowd, 
and  it  rained,  and  the  umbrellas  made  the  crowd  look 
like  a  lake  full  of  turtles,  and  then  it  seemed  a  race  for 
who  could  get  away  soonest. 

I  was  all  ready  to  go  when  it  closed,  for  we  had  been 
getting  ready  for  a  week  or  two  beforehand.  I  had 
sold  my  pets  before  I  started  on  that  trip  to  New  York, 
and  we  had  boxed  up  and  sent  to  Kansas  City  some 
things  we  wanted  to  take  home,  for  fear  at  the  end 
there  would  be  such  a  jam  of  freight  that  we  wouldn't 
be  able  to  get  them  there  in  time,  so  we  sent  them 
ahead.  Nasho  had  gone  there  a  week  before  with  the 
horses,  and  was  to  wait  for  me.  I  stayed  one  day 


2/8  LIVE    BOYS. 

after  it  closed  to  see  what  the  grounds  looked  like 
without  the  people,  and  then  started.  I  wouldn't 
have  missed  being  at  the  Centennial  and  seeing  the 
wind  up  for  any  thing  in  the  world. 

At  Kansas  City  I  found  Nasho  with  the  horses  and 
our  things,  and  we  began  to  get  ready  for  the  trip 
home.  We  were  going  to  Fort  Dodge  on  the  Atchi- 
son,  Topeka  and  Sante  Fe  Railroad,  and  there  start 
home  in  a  wagon  over  the  Trail.  For  fear  something 
might  happen  to  us  on  the  way  we  had  sent  Uncle  a 
draft  on  San  Antonio  for  six  hundred  dollars,  and 
took  six  hundred  with  us  to  buy  our  outfit  and  to 
have  money  with  us  on  the  road.  I  have  found  out 
already  that  with  money  a  traveller  can  go  anywhere 
and  get  well  taken  care  of  when  without  it  he  would 
be  like  a  bogged  wagon. 

We  bought  a  span  of  young,  stout,  well-matched 
mules  ;  these  short,  chunky  fellows,  that  look  like  half- 
breeds,  can  live  on  grass  and  stand  any  thing.  They 
cost  us  three  hundred  dollars,  but  they  were  well 
worth  the  money  and  in  good  order  for  the  road. 
Then  we  bought  a  two-horse  wagon  with  a  stout  duck 
cover,  a  small  tent,  blankets,  some  cooking  utensils, 
and  coffee,  flour,  sugar,  bacon,  rice,  dried  fruit,  peas, 
potatoes,  onions,  molasses  and  tea  and  chocolate,  for 
Nasho  and  me  both  like  chocolate,  and  he  can  make  it 
real  good.  We  had  some  condensed  milk  too,  and  some 
vegetables  all  ready  dried  to  make  soup  of.  We  had 
a  real  nice  oil  stove  that  I  was  taking  to  Auntie  to 
use  when  she  only  wanted  to  make  some  coffee  or  tea 


CHARLEY  AND  XASHO  IX  TEXAS.        2/9 

or  cook  an  egg  ;  it  is  so  much  easier  than  to  go  to  the 
trouble  of  making  a  fire  in  the  wood  stove,  that  was 
boxed  up  ;  but  I  bought  also  a  small  one  just  to  make 
tea  or  coffee  on  or  cook  some  soup  when  we  were  in 
a  hurry;  on  the  prairie, when  the  wind  blows, it  blows 
away  the  heat  of  your  fire  so  much  that  it  takes  a  long 
time  to  cook  any  thing,  and  then  sometimes  it  ain't 
half  done.  We  could  cook  two  things  at  once  on  our 
oil  stove,  and  had  a  can  of  oil  to  heat  it  with.  I  tell 
you  we  were  fixed  up  nice  for  cow-boys  or  any 
other  sort  of  boys.  I  know  the  boys  here  would  say 
we  was  citified,  but  we  had  worked  and  earned  every 
thing  we  had,  and  I  don't  know  what  money  is  good 
for  if  it  ain't  to  buy  what  you  want.  The  reason  why 
the  horses  and  cattle  and  hogs  up  North  look  so  much 
better,  and  get  so  much  larger  than  ours,  is  because 
they  are  taken  so  much  better  care  of,  have  more  and 
better  food,  and  stables  to  keep  them  out  of  the  wea- 
ther. I  believe  the  better  people  take  care  of  them- 
selves the  longer  they  will  last,  and  the  better  able  to 
work  they  will  be.  I  believe  I  am  as  ready  as  any 
body  to  work  hard,  and  stand  guard  all  night  if  it 
rains,  but  when  it  is  over  I  do  like  to  have  a  warm 
tent  to  come  to,  and  a  dry  bed  and  something  good 
to  eat  that  makes  you  feel  ready  to  go  out  again 
if  you  have  to.  We  couldn't  have  such  things  on 
the  Trail,  but  I  was  going  to  have  them  on  the  trip 
back. 

We  got  blankets  for  the  mules  and  horses  to   put 
on  them  at  night,  and  ropes  and  halters,  and  a  feed 


28O  LIVE    BOYS. 

trough  for  Comanche  and  Spot,  as  Nasho  called  his 
Indian  pony.  I  bought  an  Evans  repeating  rifle  that 
carried  twenty  five  cartridges,  and  can  be  fired  as  fast 
as  a  six-shooter,  and  Nasho  got  a  breech-loading  shot- 
gun and  we  both  had  our  belt  revolvers.  I  had  a  little 
five-shooting,  breech-loading  revolver  that  I  could 
carry  in  my  pocket.  I  never  carry  it  except  when  I 
am  on  the  prairie  or  in  the  woods,  but  I  like  to  have 
it  then  because  it  is  so  handy,  and  shoots  nearly  as 
far  and  hard  as  a  big  pistol.  I  had  bought  at  the 
Centennial  a  fine  field-glass  that  I  could  make  out 
cattle  or  horses  with  three  miles  off. 

We  got  to  Fort  Dodge  too  late  in  the  evening  to 
make  a  start,  and  I  wasn't  much  sorry,  for  it  was 
snowing.  We  left  our  things  at  the  depot,  put  our 
stock  in  the  livery  stable,  and  went  to  the  hotel. 
Then  I  went  out  to  buy  some  oats  and  corn  to  take 
with  us  for  the  horses  and  mules,  for  we  couldn't  get 
any  on  the  road  until  we  got  into  Texas,  and  I  didn't 
want  to  depend  on  the  grass  in  winter.  I  wanted 
to  travel,  and  to  do  that  our  stock  would  need  feeding. 
I  had  bought  the  feed  and  a  couple  of  good  buffalo 
robes  for  bedding,  and  was  on  my  way  back  to  the 
hotel  when  under  a  little  bunch  of  thin  bushes  I  came 
across  a  man  lying  down  in  the  snow.  His  clothing 
was  all  ragged  and  dirty,  his  boots  full  of  holes,  and 
his  hat  was  in  pieces.  I  thought  first  he  was  drunk, 
but  when  I  stooped  down  over  him  there  was  no 
smell  of  whiskey  about  him,  and  I  knew  from  his  face 
he  was  sick.  He  was  getting  old,  for  his  hair  and 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        28 1 

beard  were  grizzled,  and  his  face  was  full  of  wrinkles 
and  pinched  up  like  when  one  has  been  sick  a  long 
time.  He  didn't  answer  when  I  spoke  to  him,  and  I 
couldn't  rouse  him  up  by  shaking  him.  I  hurried  off 
to  a  wagon  standing  before  a  store  and  got  the  driver 
to  come  with  another  man  and  put  him  in  and  take  him 
to  the  hotel.  There  was  a  doctor  boarding  there  who 
came  up  to  the  room  and  examined  him.  He  gave 
him  a  big  dose  of  hot  brandy,  and  we  undressed  him 
and  began  to  rub  his  arms  and  legs  and  feet.  After 
a  little  he  began  to  come  too,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours 
he  was  strong  enough  talk  to  a  little.  He  said  he  had 
been  mining  out  west  and  was  trying  to  make  his 
way  to  Illinois,  where  he  had  a  brother  living,  but  had 
no  money,  and  lying  out  and  the  hard  weather  had 
made  him  sick.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  the  doctor 
gave  him  a  warm  sponge  bath  in  bed,  and  I  brought 
him  some  flannel  under-clothes.  Then  the  doctor 
ordered  some  hot  soup  for  him,  and  left  me  to  sit 
with  him.  The  poor  man  seemed  to  feel  a  great  deal 
better,  but  he  was  so  thin,  and  pale,  and  weak  that  I 
didn't  believe  he  would  ever  get  up  again.  He  slept 
tolerably  well  that  night,  seemed  better  next  morning, 
but  he  soon  began  to  get  worse.  The  doctor  told  me 
he  was  too  far  gone  ever  to  get  up  again.  I  asked 
him  if  he  would  like  to  send  a  message  anywhere,  and 
he  gave  me  one  to  send  to  Wm.  J.  Lenton,  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois.  That  was  the  name  of  the  gentle- 
man I  had  met  in  Philadelphia,  but  I  thought  there 
might  be  two  of  the  same  name  and  didn't  say  any 


282  LIVE    BOYS. 

thing.  It  was  two  hours  before  I  got  an  answer,  and 
then  the  operator  at  Bloomington  only  said  there  was 
no  such  man  living  there.  I  told  the  poor  sick  man 
then,  that  I  knew  such  a  gentleman  who  lived  at  St. 
Paul's,  Minnesota.  He  asked  me  a  few  questions 
about  him  and  his  wife  and  the  little  girl,  who  he  said 
was  his  niece,  but  he  hadn't  seen  her  for  five  years.  I 
was  going  out  to  telegraph  to  him,  but  he  stopped  me, 
and  said  it  was  too  late,  he  would  be  gone  before  his 
brother-in-law  could  get  there.  He  said  he  was  worn 
out  and  couldn't  last  long,  and  asked  for  a  lawyer  to 
make  his  will.  Then  he  motioned  for  all  the  others 
to  leave,  and  when  they  had  gone  told  me  that  he 
had  left  gold  where  he  had  been  mining,  and  told  me 
to  rip  open  his  coat  and  I  would  find  a  paper  that 
would  tell  me  just  where  it  was,  so  that  I  could 
find  it.  I  got  the  paper  and  he  told  me  then 
that  he  was  going  to  leave  his  gold  to  his  niece  and 
me,  and  asked  me  to  promise  him  on  the  Bible  that  I 
would  go  and  look  for  it,  and  if  I  found  it  would  divide 
with  her  fairly.  I  promised  him,  and  he  seemed  a 
great  deal  better  satisfied. 

The  lawyer  came  in  a  few  minutes,  and  drew  up 
his  will  as  he  told  him,  and  the  landlord  and  the  min- 
ister, who  had  heard  of  the  sick  man  and  had  come  in, 
signed  it  as  witnesses.  I  was  to  keep  his  will  and  do 
what  he  wanted  done  after  he  was  gone.  I  paid  the 
lawyer  and  he  left.  The  minister  talked  to  him  a 
while  and  went  away. 

I  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  be  buried  at  Bloom- 


CHARLEY  AXI)  XASHO  IX  TEXAS.        283 

ington,  but  he  said  no,  it  didn't  make  any  difference 
with  him  where  he  was  buried,  that  one  place  was  as 
near  heaven  as  another.  He  began  to  grow  weak  so 
fast  that  I  went  for  the  doctor,  but  he  couldn't  do  any 
thing  to  rouse  him.  We  sat  with  him  until  nearly 
twelve  o'clock  that  night.  Then  he  roused  up  a  little 
and  beckoned  me  to  come  to  him.  I  bent,  down  close 
to  his  ear  and  he  put  his  arm  around  my  neck  and 
said  brokenly — "  Char — ley — be — sure — divide — fair 
— with — little — " 

Then  he  dropped  back  again.  The  doctor  came 
up  and  put  his  hand  on  his  arm  and  in  a  minute  he 
said — 

"  Poor  fellow,  he's  gone." 

We  laid  him  out  and  took  turns  sitting  with  the 
corpse  the  rest  of  the  night.  The  next  evening  we 
buried  him  in  the  town  graveyard.  There  were 
scarcely  enough  there  to  lower  the  coffin  into  the  grave 
and  fill  it  up.  The  ground  was  all  covered  with  snow, 
and  the  sky  was  cloudy  and  dark,  and  oh,  it  looked  so 
lonesome  !  He  was  so  far  away  from  those  that  cared 
any  thing  for  him.  Before  the  snow  was  gone  he  would 
be  forgotten  here  and  nobody  would  ever  come  to  put 
flowers  0,1  his  grave  or  plant  a  tree  at  its  head.  It 
seemed  so  hard  to  leave  him  there  all  alone,  but  just 
as  we  turned  away  the  sun  burst  out  bright  and  clear 
and  I  thought  of  that  passage  in  the  Bible  I  had 
heard  Parson  Theglin  read  at  funerals  at  Kerrville : — 

"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  :  he  that  be- 
lieveth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live : 


284  LIVE    BOYS. 

And  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall 
never  die.  Believest  thou  this  ? " 

And  I  believed  it. 

A  headboard  giving  the  name  and  day  of  leath  was 
put  in  the  grave,  and  I  got  a  carpenter  to  put  up  a 
neat  fence  around  it.  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lenton 
at  St.  Paul's,  telling  him  that  I  had  happened  to 
find  his  brother-in-law  sick  there  and  had  staid  with 
him  until  he  died  and  seen  him  buried.  I  did  not  tell 
him  how  I  had  found  him,  nor  say  any  thing  about  the 
will,  except  that  he  had  left  no  property.  The  lawyer 
told  me  that  was  best.  No  one  knew  any  thing  about 
his  buried  gold,  for  he  had  said  nothing  about  it  in  his 
will.  The  fence  was  finished  that  morning  and  every 
thing  settled  up. 

That  evening  we  loaded  up  and  started  for  Texa? 
and  home. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

TRAVELLING  AND  CAMPING.  CAPTURED    BY    INDIANS. 

NASHO  FINDS  AN  OLD  FRIEND  WHO  RELEASES  THEM. 

CHARLEY  PICKS  UP  A  DOG. 

WE  were  almost  due  north  of  Kerrville  and  had 
nothing  to  do  but  keep  the  Trail.  Nasho  drove 
the  wagon  and  I  rode  ahead  leading  Spot.  The  wea- 
ther was  cold,  but  we  had  warm  clothing  and  didn't 
mind  it  much.  We  would  stop  half  an  hour  at  dinner 
to  make  some  coffee  and  get  a  snack,  and  then 
again  at  sundown  for  the  night.  Most  of  our  cooking 
was  done  at  night  so  that  we  could  get  an  early  start 
next  morning.  When  we  stopped  we  would  unharness 
the  mules  and  turn  them  loose  to  graze.  We  staked 
the  horses  out,  putting  our  picket  pins  down  close  to 
the  wagon.  We  wasn't  afraid  of  their  running  away, 
but  it  is  always  a  good  plan  to  have  at  least  one  horse 
tied,  for  then  if  a  stampede  should  take  place  you 
won't  be  left  entirely  afoot.  Then  we  pitched  our 
tent  and  got  supper.  As  soon  as  it  began  to  get 
pretty  dark  we  brought  in  the  mules  and  horses,  fed 
them  with  corn  and  oats,  and  rubbed  them  dowa 
We  always  tied  them  to  the  wagon  wheels,  for  that 


286  LIVE    BOYS. 

kept  them  so  near  us  that  it  would  be  hard  for  any- 
body to  take  them  away  without  waking  us  up,  and  if 
they  should  happen  to  get  scared  they  couldn't  get 
loose,  for  the  wagon  would  give  a  little  when  they 
pulled  back.  I  always  enjoyed  seeing  the  horses  and 
mules  eat  their  supper,  and  they  liked  to  have  us 
about  feeding  and  rubbing  them.  Comanche  knows 
me  as  well  as  Nasho  does.  I  believe  if  I  was  to  slip 
up  in  the  night  when  he  was  asleep  and  touch  him 
he  would  know  it  was  me.  Sometimes  at  dinner 
time  he  will  stop  grazing  and  come  to  me  for  a  hand- 
ful of  oats,  or  a  lump  of  sugar.  He  likes  sugar  as 
much  as  I  do,  and  I  often  give  him  a  lump.  I  like  to 
treat  him  well  because  he  is  always  ready  to  carry  me, 
and  don't  need  whip  or  spurs  ;  just  a  word  and  he 
will  strike  out  as  hard  as  he  can  go. 

It  was  so  pleasant  the  first  three  or  four  days  that 
we  had  a  real  nice  time.  I  found  Spot  would  follow 
the  wagon  so  that  I  didn't  have  to  lead  him,  and  could 
ride  off  to  either  side  hunting.  I  killed  a  deer,  three 
rabbits  and  several  prairie  chickens,  so  that  we  had 
some  fresh  meat.  We  had  a  good  lantern,  and  after 
we  were  done  feeding  the  horses  and  had  made  all 
ready  for  the  night,  I  used  to  read,  for  I  had  brought 
some  books  with  me.  I  had  several  books  about 
hunting  on  .the  plains  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  in  Africa,  and  a  Natural  History,  and  books  about 
birds  and  fish,  and  two  or  three  histories  and  some 
others.  The  nights  were  so  long  that  sometimes  I 
would  read  two  or  three  hours  before  going  to  sleep, 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS        28/ 

Nasho  nearly  always  went  to  sleep  right  off.  He 
didn't  care  about  reading,  though  sometimes  he  would 
look  over  the  pictures  about  the  animals  and  birds, 
and  ask  me  questions  about  them.  How  I  did  like  to 
read  about  hunting !  I  would  rather  go  to  Africa  than 
anywhere  else,  because  there  is  so  much  more  game 
there,  and  so  many  different  kinds. 

One  night  while  I  was  reading  I  happened  to  look 
out  and  saw  a  pair  of  eyes  shining  only  a  few  yards 
off.  I  lay  down  my  book  and  got  my  rifle  and  tried 
to  shoot,  but  at  first  I  couldn't  see  the  sights.  After 
a  little  I  held  it  so  that  the  light  would  fall  on  the 
front  sight,  and  taking  the  best  aim  I  could  between 
the  eyes,  fired.  Nasho  was  up  in  a  second  :- 

"What  matter,  Carley  ?" 

Only  a  wolf,  I  said,  and  ran  out  to  see.  Sure 
enough  it  was  a  wolf.  I  had  shot  him  square  between 
the  eyes.  The  horses  and  mules  jumped  a  little  when 
I  shot,  but  didn't  try  to  break  loose.  Almost,  every 
night  we  would  hear  a  pack  of  wolves  howling  and 
sometimes  close  to  our  camp,  but  we  knew  they 
wouldn't  trouble  our  horses  and  wasn't  afraid  of  them. 
I  like  to  hear  wolves  howl  at  night. 

That  same  night  about  half  an  hour  afterwards 
I  thought  I  heard  something  snuffle,  and  looking  up 
saw  a  polecat's  head  poking  under  the  tent.  I  was 
afraid  he  would  come  in  and  scent  every  thing  up. 
You  know  how  they  smell  ?  so  I  got  my  little  pistol 
easy,  and  when  he  stuck  it  in  again  took  good  aim 
and  fired.  Nasho  popped  up  in  a  second — I  beliew 


288  LIVE    BOYS. 

he  was  a  little  scared,  because  I  shot  right  over  him, 
and  a  pistol  makes  a  loud  noise  in  a  house  or  tent, 
but  I  told  him  what  it  was,  and  we  went  out  and 
looked  at  him.  His  head  was  all  torn  to  pieces  by 
the  ball.  Polcats  are  dangerous  little  vermin.  I 
have  heard  of  several  men  being  bitten  by  them  in 
Texas  and  killed.  They  come  into  camp  in  the  night 
when  everybody  is  asleep,  and  'most  always  bite  in 
the  nose.  We  didn't  skin  either  the  wolf  or  the  pole- 
cat because  we  had  finer  skins  of  both  at  home. 
After  that  I  wished  we  had  a  dog  to  let  us  know  when 
any  thing  came  about.  A  dog  may  be  sound  asleep, 
but  if  any  animal  or  person  comes  about  he  is  sure  to 
wake  up. 

Just  six  days  after  we  left  Fort  Dodge  we  camped 
on  the  South  side  of  the  Red  Fork,  in  Indian  Terri- 
tory. The  next  morning  when  we  woke  up — we  al- 
ways got  up  at  the  first  crack  of  day — every  thing  was 
covered  with  snow,  and  it  was  snowing  hard.  I  was 
sorry  for  the  horses  and  mules,  because  the  nights 
hadn't  been  very  cold  and  we  hadn't  put  their  blankets 
on  them.  We  gave  them  a  good  feed  and  after  break- 
fast we  started.  The  Trail  was  so  covered  with  snow 
that  we  couldn't  tell  where  it  was,  but  we  thought  we 
could  travel  pretty  well  by  compass.  About  eleven 
o'clock  I  unsaddled  Comanche  and  left  him  with  Spot  to 
follow,  and  rode  in  the  wagon  with  Nasho.  That  night 
when  we  camped  we  couldn't  tell  whether  we  were  near 
the  Trail  or  not.  The  next  morning  it  was  still  snow- 
ing, but  not  very  hard.  I  was  more  than  half  a  mind 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS        2«9 

to  lay  up  until  the  snow  cleared  away,  because  I  was 
afraid  we  would  drive  into  some  gully  or  hole  and 
break  something ;  but  I  wanted  to  get  home,  and  we 
started  ;  about  eleven  o'clock  all  of  a  sudden  an  Indian 
rode  in  front  of  our  mules  and  stopped  them.  We 
looked  out  and  there  were  half  a  dozen  around  the 
wagon.  The  Indians  were  all  supposed  to  be  friendly, 
but  friendly  or  not  we  had  to  make  out  like  we 
thought  they  was,  for  they  had  slipped  upon  us  too 
well  to  give  us  any  chance  to  fight  if  we  had  wanted 
to. 

One  ugly  looking  rascal,  with  a  dirty  red  blanket 
around  him  and  some  feathers  stuck  in  his  long  black 
hair,  came  up  to  us  and  said : — 

"  Injin's  wagon,  Injin's  mules,  Injin's  horses,  all 
Injins.  Ugh  !" 

No !  I  said,  our  horses  and  wagon  ;  we  buy  'em  in 
Kansas. 

He  motioned  us  to  get  out,  and  Nasho  said  : — 

"Day  got  us  Carley — must  get  out."  We  got  out, 
though  I  didn't  like  to,  because  if  they  intended  to 
kill  us  our  guns  were  in  the  wagon  and  that  was  our 
only  chance  for  our  lives.  But  I  thought  it  wasn't 
any  use  to  show  fight.  Four  of  them  had  guns  and 
pistols,  and  the  other  two  bows  and  arrows  and  lances. 
We  wouldn't  have  stood  any  show  in  a  fight. 

When  we  got  out  the  dirty  old  rascal  pointed  to 
Comanche  and  Spot,  and  said  : — 

"Dem  Injin  horses,  you  steal  dam  heap."  Now 
Injin  get  back  ;  take  mules,  wagon  too,  you  no  like 


290  LIVE    BOYS. 

take  scalp  too,"  and  the  ugly  villain  made  a  motion 
as  if  he  was  lifting  a  scalp,  and  his  black  eyes  shone 
like  a  snake's.  The  restall  laughed.  Nasho  com- 
menced talking  to  them  in  Indian.  I  couldn't  tell 
what  they  said,  but  I  knew  from  their  motions  and 
looks  that  they  pretended  not  to  believe  what  he  told 
them,  and  from  the  way  the  old  rascal  who  acted  as 
leader  tapped  his  gun,  that  they  intended  to  take  every- 
thing we  had. 

Directly  Nasho  turned  to  me  and  said  : — 

"  It  no  use,  Carley.  Day  got  us.  Day  take  mules, 
wagon,  horses,  all ;  we  no  can  help ;  no  can  fight 
now." 

One  of  them  got  off  his  horse,  gave  his  bridle  rein 
to  another,  and  got  in  the  wagon  and  took  the  reins, 
laughing  like  a  baboon.  It  would  have  done  me  good 
to  have  made  a  hole  through  his  ugly  head.  They 
started  off  laughing,  and  bowing  to  us,  and  too  or 
three  of  them  hollered  out  as  they  rode  off  :- 

"  Good-by — heap  walk  now." 

I  had  my  little  revolver  in  my  pocket,  but  it  would 
have  been  foolish  to  have  thought  of  shooting.  It  was 
enough  to  make  anybody  mad  to  have  a  good  outfit 
taken  right  from  under  them  and  be  left  in  the  middle 
of  a  prairie  in  a  snow-storm,  with  nothing  to  eat,  and 
no  arms  but  a  little  revolver  ;  but  it  was  better  than 
to  have  our  scalps  taken.  I  was  looking  after  them  and 
feeling  like  crying  about  Comanche  when  I  heard 
Nasho  say : — 

"  Nodder  rascal  coming ! " 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.        2QI 

I  looked  up  and  saw  another  one  coming  on  a  lope. 
He  was  riding  a  fine  spotted  horse,  and  as  he  got 
closer  I  saw  he  was  dressed  in  a  good  suit  of  fringed 
buckskin  and  had  a  fine  blanket  lying  across  his 
Mexican  saddle.  He  had  a  lance  in  his  hand  and  his 
bow  and  arrows  slung  to  his  back.  He  came  up  as 
if  he  was  going  to  ride  right  over  us,  but  we  never 
moved — Nasho  had  told  me  that  was  the  way  they 
always  came — and  when  he  was  in  a  jump  of  us  he 
pulled  up  so  quick  that  it  almost  threw  his  horse  on 
his  haunches. 

He  was  a  young  fellow  not  much  bigger  than 
Nasho,  and  cleaner  and  better  looking  every  way  than 
the  rest.  He  had  a  fine  head  rig  of  eagle  feathers, 
and  bear  claws  round  his  neck,  and  silver  buttons  on 
his  buckskin  shirt.  As  quick  as  he  got  a  look  at 
Nasho's  face  he  called  out  to  him  in  Indian,  and 
jumped  off  his  horse,  and  caught  both  his  hands  and 
fairly  hugged  him.  Nasho  seemed  as  glad  to  see  him 
as  he  was  to  see  Nasho,  and  for  two  or  three  minutes 
they  talked  as  fast  as  two  school  girls.  Then  I  could 
tell  by  Nasho's  gestures  that  he  was  telling  the  In- 
dian about  our  being  robbed.  The  young  Indian 
scowled  and  looked  on  the  ground  a  second,  and  then 
said  something  to  Nasho  and  jumped  on  his  horse 
and  started  after  the  others  who  had  got  out  of  sight 
under  a  hill. 

"  Dat  Co-shel-to,"  Nasho  said;  "  he  heap  friend  me 
when  me  with  Kickapoos.  He  try  get  wagon,  horses, 
all  back  again.  He  chief.'' 


2Q2  LIVE    BOYS. 

I  thought  from  his  dress  he  must  be  a  chiefs  son. 
How  I  did  watch  to  see  if  they  were  coming  back !  It 
reminded  me  of  the  time  I  was  in  the  tree  watching 
the  horse  when  I  caught  Comanche.  I  didn't  much 
believe  he  could  make  them  give  us  back  our  outfit 
if  he  was  a  chief,  because  he  was  hardly  any  thing  but 
a  boy,  and  they  didn't  have  hardly  any  thing  and 
wouldn't  like  to  let  their  prize  go.  Directly  we  saw 
Co-shel-to  coming  back  with  the  wagon  and  horses  ; 
the  same  Indian  was  driving  and  another  one  leading 
his  horse.  When  they  came  up  the  one  in  the  wagon 
got  out,  and  Co-shel-to  motioned  to  the  wagon  and 
horses  with  a  sweep  of  his  hand,  and  said  something 
to  Nasho.  Nasho  bowed  and  said  something  to  him, 
but  I  couldn't  make  out  any  thing  about  it,  only  I  was 
sure  Co-shel-to  intended  for  us  to  keep  every  thing. 
Wasn't  I  glad  to  get  Comanche  back  again  !  I  couldn't 
help  walking  up  to  him  and  patting  him.  Co-shel-to 
noticed  me,  and  said  in  Spanish : — 

"  Muy  hermoso  caballo,  senor  !  "  * 

"Muy  hermoso  caballo." 

I  answered.  Then  I  went  to  the  wagon,  got  my 
best  pistol  with  the  belt  and  cartridges,  and  walking 
up  to  him  said  : — 

"  Haga  me  el  favor  sefior,  acceptar  este  pistol."  f 

"Muchas  gracias,  senor."  J 


*  A  very  fine  horse,  sir ! 

f  Do  me  the  favor  to  accept  this  pistol. 

J  Many  thanks,  sir. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        293 

He  took  it  with  a  proud  bow  and  buckled  it  around 
his  waist,  and  I  could  see  he  was  glad  to  have  it. 

Nasho  said  something  to  him,  and  he  turned  and 
spoke  to  one  of  the  Indians,  and  he  started  off  on  a 
gallop. 

Nasho  told  me  then  he  had  asked  the  young  chief 
to  send  for  the  others  to  come  back  and  drink  coffee 
with  us.  He  told  me  not  to  seem  to  be  afraid  of  them, 
or  act  as  if  I  did  not  like  them,  but  to  be  friendly. 
When  we  saw  them  coming  back  he  said  : — 

"  You  drive,  Carley.     We  go  to  water." 

I  got  in  and  drove  and  he  walked  along  by  the  side 
of  Co-shel-to.  It  was  only  a  little  ways  to  a  running 
branch,  where  I  stopped.  I  was  sorry  and  almost 
mad  with  Nasho  for  sending  back  for  the  thieving 
rascals,  for  I  was  afraid  they  might  rob  us  again  and 
for  good  this  time,  but  there  was  nothing  for  it  but 
to  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter,  and  I  determined 
none  of  'em  should  see  how  I  hated  them.  By  good 
good  luck  we  had  some  deer  meat  and  a  ham.  We 
got  that  out  and  our  meat-pot  to  make  coffee  in,  and 
started  a  fire.  They  didn't  seem  to  care  for  the 
bread,  but  they  ate  all  the  meat  and  drank  the  pot 
twice  full  of  coffee.  We  didn't  have  but  two  cups, 
so  they  had  to  take  it  time  about.  As  soon  as  the 
last  one  had  drank  his  coffee  they  got  on  their  horses 
to  leave.  I  got  out  some  tobacco  I  was  taking  to 
Uncle  and  Parson  Theglin  and  divided  it  among 
them,  and  gave  them  some  matches,  and  they  rode  off. 
Wasn't  I  glad  to  see  them  go  though  :  I  could  tell 


294  LIVE    BOYS. 

from  their  looks  that  they  hated  to  leave  without  our 
outfit,  but  they  didn't  want  to  take  it  as  bad  as  I 
wanted  to  keep  it. 

Then  Nasho  and  Co-shel-to  talked  a  little,  and  I 
knew  from  their  gestures  that  he  was  telling  Nasho 
which  way  to  go.  When  they  were  through  Nasho 
went  to  the  wagon  and  got  his  shot-gun  and  belt,  and  a 
box  of  cartridges,  and  gave  them  to  Co-shel-to.  He  put 
the  cartridges  in  a  buckskin  bag  that  hung  at  his  side. 
Then  he  took  off  his  bow  and  arrow,  and  handed  them 
to  Nasho  with  his  lance.  He  shook  hands  with  me, 
said — "Adios,  Senor,"  shook  hands  with  Nasho,  saying 
something  to  him  in  Indian,  jumped  on  his  horse  and 
rode  off  at  a  gallop  in  the  direction  the  others  had  gone. 
I  saddled  Comanche,  took  my  rifle  and  mounted,  and 
Nasho  got  in  the  wagon  and  we  started,  bearing  more 
to  the  left  than  we  had  been  travelling. 

That  evening  I  kept  a  sharp  look  out  with  my  field- 
glass,  but  didn't  see  any  more  Indians.  I  was  riding 
ahead  nearly  at  sundown  when  I  saw  something  like 
a  wolf  lying  down  right  ahead  of  us.  I  thought  first 
it  was  a  wolf,  but  in  a  minute  I  saw  it  was  a  dog,  and 
riding  up  to  it  found  it  was  a  dog  so  poor  and  crippled 
that  it  could  not  walk.  It  was  a  fine,  large  dog  that 
looked  like  a  cross  between  a  bull  dog  and  a  grey- 
hound. It  must  have  been  stolen  from  some  army 
post  by  the  Indians,  got  crippled  by  some  animal,  and 
left  by  them  when  it  couldn't  keep  up.  I  was  sorry 
for  the  poor  dog,  and  when  Nasho  came  up  we  put 
him  in  the  wagon  and  took  him  with  us.  When  we 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.       2Q5 

camped  I  made  him  a  pot  of  hot  soup,  and  he  ate  as 
if  famished.  Then  I  put  some  liniment  on  his  sore 
feet  and  tied  them  up,  and  on  a  place  in  his  side 
where  a  deer  or  a  buffalo  had  hooked  him.  After 
supper  I  covered  him  up  well  with  a  saddle-blanket. 

Nasho  told  me  that  night  that  Co-shel-to  was  a 
young  black-foot  Indian  that  had  been  captured  by 
the  tribe  of  Kickapoos  he  lived  with,  and  that  he  and 
Co-shel-to  had  been  great  friends.  They  had  each 
cut  a  little  vein  on  his  arm  and  drank  some  of  each 
other's  blood.  That  meant  that  they  were  to  be  as 
dear  to  each  other  as  brothers.  Since  he  had  left 
them  Co-shel-to  had  become  chief,  although  he  was 
so  young,  old  Kee-watch-ie,  who  was  chief  when  he 
left  them,  having  been  killed  in  a  fight,  and  Co-shel-to 
chosen  in  his  place  he  came  he  was  the  bravest  war- 
rior in  the  tribe.  Co-shel-to  told  him  that  the  Trail 
was  miles  away  to  our  left.  He  said  the  Comanches 
were  going  to  their  winter-quarters  ahead  of  us,  and 
we  must  look  out  and  not  fall  in  their  way  or  they 
would  be  sure  to  rob  and  perhaps  kill  us.  He  said 
we  must  hurry  and  cross  the  prairie  as  fast  as  we 
could,  and  get  into  the  red  mountains,  where  we  could 
travel  without  being  so  apt  to  be  seen,  and  that  the 
sooner  we  got  through  the  Nation  into  Texas  the 
better  for  us.  There  was  nobody  travelling  through 
the  Nation  in  winter,  and  nobody  would  know  if  we 
were  robbed  and  killed.  He  said  it  would  take  us 
four  days  more  to  get  through,  and  we  would  have 
some  rough  roads  in  the  mountains. 


296  LIVE    BOYS. 

Nasho  said  we  would  sleep  until  twelve  o'clock, 
when  the  moon  rose,  and  then  get  up  and  travel. 
You  may  be  sure  I  didn't  read  any  that  night.  It 
was  a  good  thing  for  us  that  Co-shel-to  came  along. 
We  would  have  had  a  hard  time  if  we  had  been  left 
in  the  prairie  without  any  thing.  I  didn't  feel  as 
easy  and  good  that  night  as  I  had  been  doing,  and  I 
believe  if  I  had  been  back  at  Kansas  City  I  would 
have  come  home  by  rail.  But  we  were  in  for  it  now 
and  had  to  go  through.  So  I  went  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

OVER    THE    SNOW. CHARLEY    IS    ALMOST    FROZEN.  — 

INDIAN  DOCTORING. NASHO  KILLS  AN  INDIAN  WITH 

AN  ARROW. RAPID  TRAVELLING. HOME  AGAIN 

IT  seemed  to  me  I  had  not  been  asleep  an  hour 
when  I  heard  somebody  stirring,  and  raising  up 
found  Nasho  getting  ready  to  start.  The  moon  was 
up,  but  it  didn't  shine  very  brightly.  We  hadn't 
stretched  the  tent,  so  it  didn't  take  us  long  to  harness 
up  and  start.  We  put  the  poor  dog  in  the  wagon.  I 
rode  Comanche,  and  Spot  was  tied  behind  the  wagon 
already  saddled,  so  that  if  the  Indians  should  come 
on  us  we  could  leave  the  wagon  and  get  away  on  horse- 
back. We  had  on  our  overcoats,  and  a  good  blanket 
apiece  strapped  on  to  our  saddles,  and  plenty  of  am- 
munition, and  some  provision,  mostly  bacon  and  coffee, 
and  a  coffee-pot  and  our  cups.  We  didn't  intend  to 
be  set  afoot  again  without  any  thing  unless  the  Indians 
outran  us. 

I  rode  ahead  to  pick  the  way  and  keep  a  good  look- 
out. It  wasn't  snowing,  but  the  ground  was  covered 
with  snow,  four  inches  deep,  and  it  was  very  cold.  It 
It  was  scarcely  light  enough  to  see  well,  and  I  had  to 


298  LIVE    BOYS. 

be  very  careful  to  keep  out  of  gullies,  and  find  places 
where  the  wagon  could  cross.  The  prairie  was  pretty 
smooth,  and  we  kept  ahead  steadily,  but  about  daylight 
I  got  so  sleepy  I  could  hardly  keep  my  eyes  open. 

At  sunup  we  stopped,  fed  the  mules  and  horses 
without  unharnessing  or  taking  the  saddles  off,  made 
a  fire,  and  had  some  breakfast.  The  hot  coffee  did  us 
a  heap  of  good,  for  we  were  both  real  cold.  I  gave 
the  dog  a  good  breakfast  to,  and  was  glad  to  see  him 
looking  better  already. 

As  quick  as  breakfast  was  over  we  hitched  up  and 
started  again.  Was  you  ever  on  the  prairie  in  winter, 
Mr.  Morecamp  ? 

"  No,  Charley,  I  never  was  on  a  large  prairie  until 
this  fall." 

Then  you  don't  know  how  much  difference  there  is  be- 
tween  it  in  spring  and  winter.  Every  thing  looked  so 
barren  and  desolate.  Just  one  great  mass  of  white  all 
around  as  far  as  you  could  see,  with  hardly  a  tree,  and 
overhead  the  sky  was  cloudy.  Now  and  then  the  sun 
would  break  out  for  a  minute  and  light  up  the  snow 
so  it  would  almost  dazzle  us,  and  the  few  bushes  would 
sparkle  and  glisten,  but  it  would  only  last  a  minute, 
and  every  thing  would  turn  a  chill  gray  again.  It 
seemed  like  Nature  was  dead.  Not  a  sound  was  to 
be  heard  except  the  horses'  feet  and  the  crunching  of 
the  wheels  through  the  snow.  And  it  seemed  like  we 
would  never  get  anywhere.  It  was  just  snow,  snow, 
snow ;  and  when  we  got  to  the  top  of  a  rise  hoping  to 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN*  TEXAS.        2Q9 

see  timber  ahead,  it  would  only  be  snow  again  as  far 
as  we  could  see. 

About  twelve  o'clock  we  struck  a  gang  of  buffalo. 
There  must  have  been  ten  thousand  of  them.  They 
were  not  moving,  but  scattered  about,  feeding.  They 
didn't  pay  much  attention  to  us,  and  we  could  have 
killed  lots  of  them  if  we  had  wanted,  but  I  didn't  feel 
like  shooting  them  and  leaving  the  poor  things  to  die 
in  the  cold,  and  Nasho  didn't  want  to  stop  either.  I 
killed  one  fat  cow  when  we  stopped  for  dinner,  and 
we  took  the  hump,  and  some  ribs,  and  the  tongue,  and 
some  steaks,  for  we  were  out  of  fresh  meat.  It 
seemed  like  a  pity  to  kilt  as  large  an  animal  as  that 
for  so  little  meat.  There  are  hundreds  of  men  that 
make  a  regular  business  of  killing  them  for  their 
hides.  I  was  pretty  nearly  tired  out  when  we  stopped, 
but  a  good  buffalo  steak,  a  slice  of  bacon  and  some 
hot  coffee  freshened  me  up  heap,  and  in  less  than  an 
hour  we  were  moving  again. 

We  were  in  sight  of  buffalo  nearly  all  the  evening, 
and  the  snow  was  broken  in  thousands  of  places  where 
they  had  pawed  it  away  to  get  at  the  grass.  I  didn't 
like  to  see  so  many  buffalo,  for  I  was  afraid  the  Indians 
were  about  somewhere,  but  as  long  as  they  were  there 
I  liked  to  watch  them  as  I  rode  along.  Very  often  I 
would  ride  in  thirty  yards  of  them  without  scaring 
them. 

About  the  middle  of  the  evening  I  began  to  get 
ccVl  and  sleepy,  oh,  so  sleepy.  It  seemed  to  me  I 
tf  *'st  get  down  and  go  to  sleep  on  the  snow.  I 


3OO  LIAE    BOYS. 

thought  if  I  could  only  sleep  ten  minutes  I  would 
feel  a  great  deal  better.  I  could  hardly  keep  from 
going  to  the  wagon  and  getting  in  to  take  a  nap,  but 
I  thought  Nasho  must  be  as  sleepy  as  I  was,  and  one 
of  us  ought  to  stay  on  horseback  to  keep  up  a  watch 
and  pick  out  the  road.  I  don't  know  how  I  managed 
to  keep  at  all  straight  that  evening.  I  had  the  com- 
pass, but  don't  remember  looking  at  it.  I  know  I 
must  have  been  half  asleep  most  of  the  time.  I  have 
a  recollection  of  the  snowy  prairie,  and  now  and  then 
gangs  of  buffalo,  and  turning  round  every  little  while 
to  see  if  the  wagon  was  coming  on,  and  if  I  was  get- 
ting too  far  ahead,  and  of  its  getting  darker,  and  then 
the  next  thing  I  remember  is  feeling  something  hot 
about  me.  When  I  got  fairly  awake  I  looked  around 
and  saw  the  wagon  standing  near  by  but  the  mules 
wasn't  unhitched,  and  there  was  a  big  fire  burning.  I 
remember  drinking  something  hot,  and  getting  warm 
and  feeling  good,  oh,  so  good,  and  then  I  must  have 
dropped  asleep  again. 

I  didn't  wake  up  until  daylight,  and  then  I  jumped 
up  quick  thinking  I  must  help  Nasho  unharness  and 
get  ready  for  night,  but  I  found  myself  undressed  and 
in  the  tent.  I  dressed  myself  and  stepped  out.  The 
mules  and  horses  were  hitched  to  the  wagon  with 
their  blankets  on,  and  the  ashes  showed  there  had 
been  a  big  fire.  I  hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  it, 
but  I  looked  to  the  east  and  saw  it  was  day,  and  I 
knew  then  I  had  been  asleep  all  night.  Nasho  hadn't 
waked  up,  and  as  he  had  done  every  thing  the  night 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        30 1 

before,  I  knew  he  must  be  tired  out,  so  I  didn't  wake 
him,  but  fed  the  horses  and  mules  and  got  breakfast.  I 
cooked  some  rice  and  made  some  strong  tea,  for  Nasho 
is  very  fond  of  tea,  put  some  bacon  and  buffalo  steak 
on  to  broil,  and  then  went  and  called  him.  He  got  up 
and  came  out,  but  he  seemed  almost  asleep,  and  hardly 
to  know  what  I  said  to  him.  He  said  he  was  cold, 
and  didn't  eat  much,  but  the  tea  stirred  him  up  a  little. 

"  You  'most  froze  when  me  drive  up  here  last  night, 
Carley.  You  was  lying  on  ground  and  me  couldn't 
wake  you  up.  Me  hurry  and  make  fire  and  heat  pot 
water.  Den  me  stretch  tent  and  take  off  your  clothes 
and  dip  blanket  in  hot  water,  and  wrap  you  up  in  him. 
Me  didn't  know  if  you  come  too  any  more.  Me  pour 
wisky  and  chile  down  you  and  you  open  you  eyes  and 
look  round  little,  but  you  no  know  notin.  Me  feel 
you  arms  and  me  know  you  was  coming  too,  and  by 
by  me  take  off  wet  blanket  and  wrap  you  up  good  in 
heap  blanket.  Me  say — Carley  be  all  right  in  morn- 
ing. Den  me  feed  horses  and  mules  and  sit  by  fire 
while  dey  eat.  Me  too  tired  and  cold  to  eat.  When 
dey  done  me  tie  em  up  and  go  to  bed.  Me  feed  dog 
first,  and  me  feel  you  arm.  Carley  all  right  in  morn- 
in'.  Den  me  go  to  sleep.  Me  ain't  warm  yet — need 
sweat  heap,  den  me  feel  well." 

He  went  and  lay  down  again.  I  knew  then  that 
I  had  fallen  off  my  horse  and  didn't  know  any  thing 
when  he  came  up,  and  he  had  taken  care  of  me  and 
tended  to  every  thing,  and  though  he  was  half  frozen 
himself.  It  was  my  time  now. 


302  LIVE    BOYS. 

Camp  was  in  a  good  place  in  a  hollow  well  shel- 
tered from  the  north,  and  plenty  of  grass  and  water. 
I  made  up  a  big  fire,  and  put  in  a  lot  of  big  smooth 
rocks  that  I  found  in  the  branch.  Then  I  hobbled 
the  mules  and  staked  out  the  horses.  I  cut  some  long, 
slim  poles,  and  sticking  one  end  in  the  ground  bent 
them  over  and  fastened  the  other  end,  making  aframe- 
work  like  a  big  beehive,  or  a  large  pot.  I  covered 
this  well  with  blankets  and  a  buffalo  robe.  Then  I 
woke  Nasho  up  and  at  last  got  him  to  understand 
that  he  must  undress  and  get  in.  I  helped  him,  for 
he  was  more  than  half  asleep.  I  had  put  the  hot 
rocks,  so  hot  I  had  to  handle  them  with  two  sticks, 
on  each  side  of  the  shanty  so  he  wouldn't  get  on  them 
and  burn  himself,  and  setting  a  bucket  of  water  inside, 
crunched  down  in  the  door,  drew  a  blanket  over  me 
to  keep  out  the  air,  and  began  pouring  the  cold  water 
on  the  hot  rocks.  It  make  such  a  steam  it  almost 
stifled  me.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  Nasho  roused  up 
and  said — 

"  Me  all  right  now,  Carley.  Give  me  cup  an  you 
git  out,  no  good  for  you.  Me  all  right  now.'' 

I  saw  he  was  waked  up  good  and  left  him.  In  three 
or  four  minutes  he  came  out  and  ran  into  the  tent.  I 
rubbed  him  dry,  covered  him  up  well  with  blankets, 
gave  him  some  hot  tea,  and  left  him.  I  went  to  him 
two  or  three  times  during  the  morning,  but  he  was 
sleeping  well  and  I  didn't  trouble  him.  About  twelve 
o'clock  he  waked  up,  dressed  and  came  out,  and  said 
he  was  all  right.  There  wasn't  any  thing  the  matter 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        303 

with  either  of  us  except  getting  chilled  though  riding 
so  l^ng  in  the  cold  ;  but  if  I  had  been  by  myself  I 
don't  know  whether  I  could  ever  have  waked  up  again 
or  not.  It  was  a  good  thing  for  me  that  Nasho  wasn't 
as  cold  and  tired  as  I  was. 

We  had  a  good  dinner  that  day,  hot  buffalo  soup 
with  rice  and  peas  in  it,  roasted  Irish  potatoes  and 
stewed  peaches.  Our  stock  was  looking  a  little  thin 
from  not  having  time  enough  on  the  road  to  graze,  so 
we  stayed  there  that  evening  to  let  them  feed. 

The  next  morning  we  were  off  again  early.  The 
country  was  hilly  and  rough  and  we  couldn't  travel  as 
fast  as  we  had  been  doing.  We  had  to  zig  zag  about 
a  good  deal  to  dodge  steep  hills,  and  find  places  where 
we  could  cross  the  gullies.  It  was  that  way  for  two 
days,  and  kept  getting  worse  instead  of  better.  More 
than  once  we  had  to  unhitch  the  mules  and  let  the 
wagon  down  a  steep  bank  by  a  rope  running  round  a 
tree  to  keep  it  from  slipping  too  fast.  Then  we 
would  hitch  up,  fasten  a  rope  to  the  tongue  and  I 
would  wrap  it  around  the  horn  of  my  saddle,  and  by 
the  hardest  kind  of  work  we  would  drag  it  up  the 
other  bank.  I  told  Nasho  we  had  better  turn  off  al- 
most square  to  the  left  and  find  the  Trail,  for  we 
wouldn't  be  any  more  apt  to  be  troubled  by  the  Indians 
there  than  wandering  around  through  the  woods  where 
we  were  likely  to  run  into  a  camp  at  any  time. 

We  saw  plenty  of  game  but  didn't  like  to  shoot  for 
fear  of  being  heard  by  Indians.  That  evening  directly 
after  we  stopped  a  bear  came  close  to  camp  and  we 


304  LIVE    BOYS. 

killed  him.  Anybody  can't  be  careful  always,  and  a 
chance  to  kill  a  bear  don't  come  every  day.  Although 
it  was  winter  he  was  in  pretty  good  order,  and  gave 
us  some  good  meat. 

Rover,  that  was  the  name  I  gave  the  dog  we 
picked  up  on  the  prairie,  had  got  so  much  better  he 
could  keep  up  very  well,  though  he  was  still  a  little  lame. 
I  had  rather  trust  him  and  Comanche  to  let  me  know 
if  any  thing  or  anybody  was  coming  than  soldiers. 

The  next  morning  while  Nasho  was  driving  along 
slowly,  for  the  ground  was  rough,  we  came  to  a  piece 
of  smooth  prairie  with  a  hill  and  woods  on  the  other 
side.  I  rode  ahead,  crossed  a  deep  ravine  and  climb- 
ed the  hill,  but  I  dodged  back  out  of  sight  quick,  for 
there  were  a  party  of  Indians  riding  through  the 
woods  almost  exactly  in  our  direction.  They  were 
nearly  a  mile  off,  and  were  not  coming  in  Indian  file 
like  they  nearly  always  ride,  but  scattered  along  over 
two  hundred  yards.  There  were  about  twenty.  I  ran 
back  to  Nasho  and  told  him  what  I  had  seen,  and  to 
hurry  up  and  get  into  the  ravine  and  maybe  they 
wouldn't  see  us.  He  drove  up  quick.  The  ground 
wasn't  rocky  and  the  wagon  didn't  make  much  noise, 
and  we  stuck  the  ravine  where  the  bank  sloped  so  he 
could  get  down  into  it.  As  soon  as  he  stopped  he 
jumped  out,  locked  the  wheel,  untied  Spot,  brought 
him  up  in  front  of  the  mules  and  stood  by  his  head 
with  his  bow  strung  and  an  arrow  ready.  I  didn't  get 
off  my  horse,  but  had  my  rifle  so  I  could  shoot  in  a 
second. 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IN  TEXAS.        305 

"  No  shoot,  Carley,  if  can  help  it  :  all  hear  gun. 
Arrow  make  no  noise." 

I  didn't  need  that  to  tell  me  that  shooting  was  the 
last  thing  to  be  done.  The  ravine  we  were  in  ran 
nearly  due  north  and  south,  but  just  below  us  turned 
almost  square  east,  ran  a  few  yards  that  way  and  then 
turned  south  again.  We  sat  waiting  almost  breath- 
less. Directly  we  heard  a  horse  coming  down  the 
bank  below  us  ;  Comanche  pricked  up  his  ears,  but  I 
patted  his  neck  and  told  him  to  keep  still.  Rover 
raised  his  head  but  didn't  growl,  and  I  spoke  to  him 
low.  Nasho  raised  his  bow.  We  could  hear  him  com- 
ing up  the  ravine.  In  a  second  he  turned  the  bank, 
saw  us,  and  pulled  up  but  before  he  could  do  any  thing. 
I  saw  him  throw  up  his  hands  and  fall.  Nasho  ran  up 
and  caught  his  horse.  I  was  worse  scared  than  when 
the  Indians  had  us,  for  fear  a  horse  or  mule  might 
make  a  noise,  or  another  Indian  happen  to  stumble 
on  us,  and  I  knew  if  they  did  there  was  nothing  for  it 
but  to  cut  and  run.  I  could  hear  their  horses'  feet 
through  the  woods,  but  they  got  fainter  and  fainter 
until  they  died  away.  Nasho  beckoned  me  to  come 
to  him.  We  took  the  dead  Indian  and  dragged  him 
out  of  the  way  so  the  wagon  wouldn't  roll  over  him. 
He  was  shot  right  through  the  heart.  The  arrow  was 
in  too  deep  to  pull  out.  Nasho  said  he  was  a  Coman- 
che. \Ve  waited  nearly  half  an  hour  for  them  to  get 
clear  out  of  reach  of  hearing.  We  wasn't  afraid  of 
their  coming  back  to  hunt  for  the  dead  one,  at  least 
until  next  morning,  because  one  often  leaves  the 

20 


306  LIVE    BOYS. 

party  that  way  to  scout  or  hunt,  and  they  didn't  know 
what  had  happened  to  him.  They  were  not  going  in 
a  direction  that  would  be  likely  to  bring  them  across 
our  trail,  though  we  were  very  much  afraid  one 
might  straggle  out  to  one  side  as  this  one  had  done, 
and  find  it,  and  if  he  did  they  would  be  sure  to  follow 
it  up. 

When  we  thought  it  was  safe  we  drove  on,  and  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  down  the  ravine  came  to  a  place 
where  we  could  get  out.  I  tied  the  Indian  horse  in 
the  ravine  and  helped  pull  the  wagon  out.  Nasho 
went  back  with  his  bow  and  arrows,  unsaddled  him, 
and  stepping  off  a  few  feet  whizzed  an  arrow  into 
him.  He  reared  up,  fell  back,  kicked  a  little  and  was 
dead.  Then  he  took  the  halter  off,  he  didn't  have  any 
bridle,  carried  them  away  a  few  steps  and  threw  them 
into  some  bushes,  I  asked  him  why  he  didn't  put 
them  in  the  wagon,  but  he  said  if  any  other  Indians 
got  us,  and  found  the  saddle,  they  would  think  we  had 
killed  an  Indian  and  kill  us.  I  knew  why  he  had 
killed  the  horse.  He  was  afraid  if  he  let  him  go  he 
might  go  on  and  overtake  the  party,  or  go  back  to 
their  village,  and  when  they  saw  him  they  would  know 
something  was  wrong  and  go  out  to  look  for  him.  It 
wouldn't  do  to  tie  him  up  to  starve,  so  there  was  noth- 
ing to  do  but  kill  him. 

That  night  we  camped  by  the  Trail  again  and  I 
felt  better  satisfied,  though  I  knew  I  would  hardly 
draw  a  safe  breath  until  we  were  out  of  the  Nation. 
I  wouldn't  have  been  a  bit  uneasy  in  summer,  but 


CHARLEY  AND  NASHO  IX  TEXAS.        3O/ 

there  is  nobody  travels  there  in  winter,  and  we  had 
had  trouble  enough  to  make  us  scary. 

"  Charley,  might  not  those  have  been  friendly  In- 
dians ?  It  looks  very  cruel  to  shoot  a  man  down  with- 
out a  word,  and  without  knowing  whether  he  intends 
hurting  you  or  not." 

I  know  it,  Mr.  Morecamp,  but  Nasho  was  right. 
Indians  are  not  like  white  men.  They  don't  give  you 
any  chance  when  they  get  the  advantage  of  you  ;  as  to 
being  friendly,  none  of  the  wild  tribes  will  do  to  trust 
if  they  have  a  chance  to  rob  or  kill  without  being 
found.  Nasho  knew  in  a  second  from  his  dress  he 
was  a  Comanche,  and  they  are  one  of  the  worst  tribes 
in  the  Nation.  Some  of  them  raid  down  into  Texas 
almost  every  moon,  and  steal  and  kill  whenever  they 
get  a  chance.  If  we  could  have  captured  him  I  would 
rather  have  it,  but  when  I  saw  him  pull  up  I  knew  it 
was  our  lives  or  his — whoever  was  the  quickest.  In 
another  second  he  would  have  whirled  his  horse  be- 
hind the  bank,  and  they  would  all  have  been  on  us  and 
been  almost  certain  to  have  caught  us.  We  would  never 
have  got  out  of  that  ravine  unless  they  took  us  out  to 
torture  us,  or  carried  us  away  prisoners,  and  we  were 
too  old  for  that.  I  was  sorry  for  him,  but  I  had  a  heap 
rather  that  Indian  was  there  than  me  and  Nasho. 

Next  morning  we  were  off  by  daylight,  and  it  was 
much  travel  and  little  sleep  until  we  put  Red  River 
between  us  and  the  Indian's  country.  I  thought 
when  we  started  we  would  have  a  good  time  hunting 
in  the  Nation,  but  you  may  be  sure  we  didn't  stop  to 


308  LIVE    BOYS. 

hunt.  We  were  only  too  glad  to  find  the  rivers  all 
fordable  so  that  \ve  could  cross  them.  We  kept  the 
Trail  to  Fort  Griffin  in  Texas,  and  then  took  the 
country  roads  and  reached  home,  as  you  know-,  just 
in  time  for  Christmas.  Wasn't  I  glad  to  get  back  and 
see  Uncle  and  Auntie  again  !  As  the  Indians  say,  as 
long  as  grass  grows  and  water  runs,  I  shall  never  for- 
get how  we  went  to  the  Centennial. 


NARRATIVES 


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It  is  a  chatty  narrative  of  travel."  —  Concord  Monitor. 
FORE   AND   AFT 
A  Story  of  Actual  Sea-Life.     By  ROBERT  B.  DIXON,  M.D.     $1.25. 

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perilous  situations;  and  Mr.  Towle,  while  not  sacrificing  historical  accuracy, 

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HIS  ADVENTURES  AND  CONQUESTS. 
"  No  hero  of  romance  possesses  greater  power  to  charm  the  youthful  reader 
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MAGELLAN; 

OR,  THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    ROUND    THE    WORLD. 

"What  more  of  romantic  and  spirited  adventures  any  bright  boy  couid 
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or  girl  than  this  series  of  the  records  of  noted  travellers.  The  heroism  clis- 
phiyed  by  these  men  was  certainly  as  great  as  that  ever  shown  by  conquering 
warrior ;  and  it  was  exercised  in  a  far  nobler  cause,  —  the  cause  of  knowledge 
and  discovery,  which  has  made  the  nineteenth  century  what  it  is."  -•  Urap/iic. 

RALEGK: 

HIS     EXPLOITS     AND     VOYAGES. 

"  This  belongs  to  the  '  Young  Folks'  Heroes  of  History  '  series,  nnd  deals 
with  a  greater  and  more  interesting  man  than  any  of  its  predecessors.  With 
all  the  black  spots  on  his  fame,  there  are  few  more  brilliant  and  striking 
figures  in  English  history  than  the  soldier,  sailor,  courtier,  author,  and  ex. 
plorer,  Sir  Walter  Ralegh.  Even  at  this  distance  of  time,  more  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  after  his  head  fell  on  the  scaffold,  we  cannot  read  his 
etory  without  emotion.  It  is  graphically  written,  and  is  pleasant  reading, 
not  only  for  young  folks,  but,  for  old  folka  with  youug  hearts."  —  Wornan'i 

DRAKE: 

THE    SEA-LION    OF    DEVON. 

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to  send  a  ship  completely  round  the  world,  the  hero  of  the  magnificent 
victory  which  the  English  won  over  the  Invincible  Armada.  His  career  waft 
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FIRST  SERIES 

A  MISSING  MILLION  or  The  Adventures  of  Louis  BeJgrave 

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STRANGE  SI8HTS  ABROAD  or  A  Voyage  in  European  Waters 


SECOND    SERIES 

THE  AMERICAN  BOYS  AFLOAT  or  Cruising  in  the  Orient 
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"  The  bare  announcement  of  a  new  series  of  books  byOliver  Optic  will 
delight  boys  all  over  the  country.  When  they  farther  learn  that  their 
favorite  author  proposes  to  '  personally  conduct'  his  army  of  readors  on 
a  grand  tour  of  the  world,  there  will  be  a  terrible  scramble  for  excursion 
tickets  — that  is,  the  opening  volume  of  the  '  Globe  Trotting  Series.'  Of, 
one  thing  the  boys  may  be  dead  sure,  it  will  be  no  tame,  humdrum  Jour- 
ney, for  Oliver  Optic  does  not  believe  that  fun  and  excitement  are 
injurious  to  boys,  but,  on  the  contrary,  if  of  the  right  kind  he  thinks  it 
does  them  good.  Louis  Belgrave  is  a  fortunate  lad,  because,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  he  was  the  possessor  of  a  cool  million  of  dollars.  No  one,  not 
even  a  young  boy,  can  travel  without  money,  as  our  author  well  knows, 
therefore  he  at  once  provided  a  liberal  supply  Louis  is  a  fine  young 
fellow  with  good  principles  and  honor,  so  he  can  be  trusted  to  spend  his 
million  wisely.  But  he  does  not  have  entirely  smooth  sailing.  In  the 
first  place  he  has  a  rascally  step-father  whom  he  had  to  subjugate,  a  dear 
mother  to  protect  and  care  for,  and  the  missing  million  to  find  before  he 
could  commence  his  delightful  travels.  They  are  all  accomplished  at 
last,  and  there  was  plenty  of  excitement  and  brave  exploits  in  the.  doing 
of  them,  as  the'  boy  readers  will  find.  The  cover  design  shows  many 
things— a  globe,  the  Eiffel  tower,  mountains,  seas,  rivers,  casilas  and 
other  things  Louis  will  see  on  his  travels. —  Current  Review, 


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THEBLUE  AND  THE  GRAY 

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AFLOAT 

TAKFN  BY  THE  ENEMY  ON  THE  BLOCKADE 

WITHIN  THE  ENEMY'S  LINES        STAND  BY  THE  UNION 
A  VICTORIOUS  UNION  FIGHTING  FOR  THE  RIGHT 


ON  LAND 

BROTHER  AGAINST  BROTHER 

IN  THE  SADDLE 

A  LIEUTENANT  AT  EIGHTEEN 

Other  volumes  in  preparation 


The  opening  of  a  new  series  of  books  from  the  pen  of  Oliver  Optio 
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juvenile  literature  than  Mr.  \V  T  Adams,  who  under  his  well-known 
pseudonym,  is  known  ami  admired  by  every  boy  and  girl  in  the  c  >untryt 
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ent volume  opens  "  The  Blue  and  the  Gray  Series."  a  title  that  is  suffi- 
cient Iv  indicative  of  the  nature  and  spirit  of  the  series,  of  which  the  first 
vol nine  is  now  presented,  while  the  name  of  Oliver  Optic  is  sufficient 
warrant  of  the  absorbing  style  of  narrative.  "Taken  by  the  Enemy," 
the  first  book  xt  the  series,  is  us  bright  and  entertaining  as  any  work  that 
Mi.  Adams  has  yet  put  forth,  and  will  be  as  eagerly  perused  as  any  that 
has  borne  his 'mine  It  would  not  be  fair  to  the  prospective  reader  to 
deprive  him  of  the  zest  which  comes  from  the  unexpected,  by  entering 
into  a  synopsis  of  the  story.  A  word,  however,  should  be  said  in  regard 
to  the  beauty  and  appropriateness  of  the  binding,  which  makes  it  a  most 
attractive  /olume.—  ISoston  Bui/get 

"  Taken  by  the  Enemy"  has  just  come  from  the  press,  an  announce- 
ment that  cannot  but  appeal  to  every  healthy  boy  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years  of  age  in  the  country.  "  No  writer  of  the  present  day,"  says  the 
Boston  Commonwealth,  "  whose  aim  has  been  to  hit  the  boyish  heart,  has 
been  as  successful  as  Oliver  Optic.  There  is  a  period  in  the  life  of  every 
youth,  just  about  the  time  that  he  is  collecting  postage-stamps,  and 
before  his  legs  are  long  enough  for  a  bicycle,  when  he  has  the  Oliver 
Optic  fever.  He  catches  it  by  reading  a  few  stray  pages  comewhere,  and 
then  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  let  the  matter  take  its  course.  Relief 
comes  only  when  the  iast  page  of  the  last  b^ok  is  read;  and  then  there 
are  relapses  whenever  a  new  book  appears  until  one  is  safely  on  through 
the  teens." — Literary  News. 


AND  •  •     OraTY-FlYE  CENT  •  • 
SHEPflRD'S  U  *  *  JUVENILES 

Jomprising  new  editions  of  the  following  popular  Juueniles    Round  in 
best  English  cloth  bright  colors    Any  volume  sold  separately 

CHARLEY  AND  EVA  STORIES    By  Miss  L.  C.  THURSTOM 
How  Charley  Roberts  became  a  Man 
How  Eva  Roberts  gained  her  Education 
Home  in  the  'West 
Children  of  Amity  Court 

Miss  Thurston  writes  with  a  purpose.     She  is  an  admirer  of  manly  boj,  i 

and  womanly  girls,  and  so  carries   her  characters  through   scenes  an  • 

situations  that  elevate  and  purify.    The  books  are  by  no  means  slotj, 

being  full  of  adventures. 

GOLDEN    PROVERB    SERIES      By  Mrs.  M.  E.  BRADLKV 

and  Miss  KATE  J.  NEELV 
Birds  of  a  Feather 
Fine  Feathers  do  not  make  Fine  Birds 

A  Wrong  Confessed  is  Half  Redressed 
One  Good  Turn   deserves  Another 
Actions  Speak  Louder  than  Words 

Two  capital  story-tellers,  "birds  of  a  feather,"  have  flocked  togetN*,.-, 
and  produced  from  six  old  proverbs  six  as  bright  and  taking  story-rxx-cjs 
as  ever  gladdened  the  hearts  of  Young  America;  showing,  indeed,  that 
"  handsome  is  that  hai<i*ome  dots." 

GOLDEN    RULE   STOKIES      By  Mrs.  S.  C.  B.  SAMUELS 
The  Gojden  Rule  Nettie's  Trial 

The  Shipwrecked  Girl  The  Burning  Prairie 

Under  the  Sea  The  Smuggler's  Cave 

CELESTA'S    LIBRARY    for     Boys    and    Girls 
Celesta  A  Thousand  a  Year 

Crooked  and  Straight  Abel  Grey 

The  Crook  Straightened  May  Coverley 

Mrs.  Samuels  has  written  Tianv  attractive  books.  The  scenes  i-i# 
incidents  she  portrays  are  K-J  of  life,  acu'on,  and  interest,  and  deci-iedlj 
wholesome  aud  instructive. 

3ALT-WATER    DICK.    STORIES    Ry  MAY  MANNERS 
Climbing  the  Rope  The  Lut'.e  Spaniard 

Billy  Grimes's  Favorite  Sa'.t- Water  Dick 

Cruise  of  the  Dashaway  Little  Maid  of  Oxbow 

Not  all  tales  of  the  sea,  .is  »he  ;itle  of  the  series  would  imply,  but  -tone* 
of  many  lands  by  a  lady  wno  h?s  L-een  a  great  traveller,  and  tells  whatsht 
has  seen,  in  a  captivating  way. 

UPSIDE-DOWN    STORIFS     By  ROSA  ABBOTT 
Jack  of  all  Trades  Upside  Down 

Alexis  the  Runaway  1^>e  ^oung  Detective 

Tommy  Hickup  The  Pinks  and  Blues 

VACATION    STORIES   for    Beys   and   Girls    6  voh 

Illustrated 

Worth  not  Wealth  Karl  Ke^ltr  or  The  Fortune 

Country  Life  of  a  Foundling 

The  Charm  'Walter  Seyton 

Holidays  at  Chestnut  Hill 
GREAT      ROSY      DIAMOND      STORIES     for     Girls 

The  Great  Rosy  Diamond  Minnie  or   The  Little  Woman 

Daisy  or  The  Fairy  Spectacles       The  Angel  Children 
Voilet  a  Fairy  Story  Little  Blossom's  Reward 

Sold  by  all  booksellers   and  sent  by  mail  postpaid  on   receipt  of  price 

LE3   AND    SHEPARD   Publishers  Boston 


OLIVER   OPTICS  BOOKS. 


TOUNG   AMERICA  ABROAD. 

FIRST    SERIES. 

A.  Li«r»ry  of  Travel  and  Adventure  in  Foreign  Lands.     IGmo. 

Illustrated  by  Aast,  Stevens.  Perkins,  and  other*. 

2>er  volume,  $1.5O. 


1.  OUTWARD   BOUND; 

Or,  Young  America  Afloat. 

2.  SHAMROCK  AND  THISTLE; 

Or,  Young  America  in  Ireland  and  Scotland. 

3.  RED  CROSS; 

Or.  Young  America  in  England  and  Wales 

4.  DIKES  AND  DITCHES; 

Or,  Young  America  in  Holland  and  Belgium. 

5.  PALACE  AND  COTTAGE; 

Or,  Young  America  in  France  and  Switzerland. 

*.  DOWN  THE  RHINE; 

Or,  Yonng  America  in  Germany. 


Th&  sto»Y  from  its  inception  and  through  the  twelve  vol 
ames  ^ee  Second  Series),  is  a  bewitching  one,  while  the  in- 
formation imparted,  concerning  the  countries  of  Europe  and 
the  isles  of  the  sea,  is  not  only  correct  in  every  particular,  but 
zs  told  in  a  captivating  style.  "  Oliver  Optic"  will  continue 
to  be  the  boy's  friend,  and  his  pleasant  books  will  continue  to 
f>e  read  by  thousands  of  American  boys.  What  a  fine  holiday 
present  either  or  both  series  of  "  Young  America  Abroad" 
would  be  for  a  young  friend  !  It  would  make  a  little  librar} 
highly  prized  by  the  recipient,  and  would  not  be  an  expensive 
one.  —  Providence  Press. 


OLIVER   OPTIC'S  BOOKS. 


YOUNG  AMERICA  ABROAD, 

SECOND    SERIES. 

A.  library  of  Travel  and  Adventure  in  Foreign  Lands.     IGmo. 

Illustrated  by  IVast.  Stevens,  Perkins,  and  others. 

Per  volume,  $1.5O. 


1.  UP  THE  BALTIC; 

Or,  Young  America  in  Norway,  Sweden,  and 
Denmark. 

2.  NORTHERN  LANDS; 

Or,  Young  America  in  Russia  and  Prussia. 

3.  CROSS  AND  CRESCENT; 

Or,  Yonng  America  in  Tnrkey  and  Greece. 

4.  SUNNY  SHORES; 

Or,  Yonng  America  in  Italy  and  Austria. 

5.  VINE  AND  OLIVE; 

Or,  Young  America  in  Spain  and  Portugal. 

6.  ISLES  OF  THE  SEA; 

Or,  Yoo-ag  America  Homeward  Bound. 


*'  Oliver  Optic  "  h  a  nom  de  plume  that  is  known  and  loved 
by  olmost  every  boy  of  intelligence  in  the  land.  We  have 
seen  a  highly  intellectual  and  world-weary  man,  a  cynic  whose 
heart  was  somewhat  imbittered  by  its  large  experience  of 
human  nature,  take  up  one  of  Oliver  Optic's  books  and  read 
it  at  a  sitting,  neglecting  his  work  in  yielding  to  the  fascina- 
tion of  tbe  pages.  When  a  mature  and  exceedingly  well- 
informed  mind,  long  despoiled  of  all  its  freshness,  can  thus 
ynd  pleasure  in  a  book  for  boys,  no  additional  words  of  rec- 
ommendation are  needed.  —  Sunday  Times. 


JEE  AND  SHEPARD'S 

STAR  JUVENILES 


.ME«JKS>.  LEK  AND  SHEPARD  announce  the  following  new  line  of  12mo  Juveniles, 
consisting  of  books  by  KELLOGG,  KINGSTON,  BALLANTVNE,  HEADLEV, 
and  others.  Printed  on  a  tine  quality  of  paper,  fully  illustrated,  and  bound 
iu  the  best  English  cloth,  at  $1.00  per  volume. 

By  ELIJAH  KELLOGG. 
Lion  Ben  of  Elm  Island. 
Charlie  Bell  ;   The  Waif  of  Elm  Island. 
The  Ark  of  Elm  Island. 
The  Buy  Farmers  of  Elm  Island. 
The  Young  Shipbuilders  of  Elm  Island. 
The  H^rdscrabble  of  Elm  Island. 
Sowed  by  the  Wind  ;  or,  The  Poor  Boy's  Fortune. 
Wolf  Run  ;  or,  The  Boys  of  the  Wilderness. 
Brought  to  the  Front  ;  or,  The  Young  Defenders. 
The  Mission  of  Black  Rifle  ;  or.  On  the  Trail. 
Forest  Glen  ;  or,  The  Mohawk's  Friendship. 
Burying  the  Hatchet;  or,  The  Young  Brave  of  the  Delawares. 
A  Strongr  Arm  and  a  Mother's  Blessing. 

The  Unseen  Hand;  or,  James  Renfew  and  his  Boy  Helpers. 
The  Liv  »  Oak  Boys  ;  or,  The  Adventures  of  Richard  Constable 

Af  oat  and  Ashore. 
ArthvY  Brown,  the  Young  Captain. 
The  '.oung  Deliverers  of  Pleasant  Cove. 
Tbc  Cruise  of  the  Casco. 
Tlie  Child  of  the  Island  Glen. 
John  Godsoe's  Legacy. 
The  Fisher  Boys  of  Pleasant  Cove. 
A  Stout  Heart  ;  or,  The  Student  from  Over  the  Sea. 
A  Spark  of  Genius  ;  or,  The  College  Life  of  James  Trafton. 
The  Sophomores  of  Radcliffe  ;  or,  James  Trafton  and  his  Bos- 

ton Friends. 

The  Whispering  Pine  ;  or,  The  Graduates  of  Radcliffe. 
The  Turning  of  the  Tide  ;  or,  Radcliffe  Rich  and  his  Patients. 
Winning  his  Spurs  ;  or,  Henry  Morton's  First  Trial. 

"Qy  P.  C.  HEADLEY. 

iFi^ht  it  out  on  this  Line  ;  The  Life  and  Deeds  of  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant. 
Facing  the  Enemy  ;  The  Life  of  Gen.  William  Tecumseh  Sher«» 

man, 

Fighting  Phil  ;  The  Life  cf  Lieut.  Gen.  Philip  Henry  Sheridan, 
Old  Salamander  ;  The  Life  of  Admiral  David  Glascoe'Farragut. 
The  Miner  Boy  and  his  Monitor  ;  The  Career  of  John  Ericsson, 

Engineer. 
Old  Stars  ;  The  Life  of  Major-Gen.  Ormsby  McKnight  MitcheJ. 


By  GEORGE  MAKEPEACE  TOWLE. 
Ereroes  and  Martyrs  of  Invention. 
Vasco  da  Gama ;  His  Voyages  and  Adventures. 
Pinarro ;  3?is  Adventures  and  Conquests. 
Karelian;  or,  The  First  Voyage  Round  the  World, 

olo  ;  His  Travels  and  Adventures. 

;  Plis  Voyages  and  Adventures. 
i  ,  The  Sea  King  of  Devon. 

By  CAPT.  CHARLES  W.  HALL. 
Adrift  in  the  Ice  Fields. 


By  DR.  ISAAC  I.  HAYES. 

Cast  Away  in  the  Cold;  An  Old  Man's  Story  of  a  Yoanj 
Adventures. 

By  W    H.  G.  KINGSTON. 

The  Adventures  of  Dick  Onslow  among  the  Redskins. 
r  Brace  jridge ;  or.  School  Boy  Days. 


By  JAMES  D.  McCABE  JR. 
Planting  the  Wilderness;  or,  The  Pioneer  Boys- 

By  DR.  C.  H.  PEARSON. 
The  Cabin  on  the  Prairie. 
The  Young  Pioneers  of  the  Northwest. 

By  JAMES  DE  MILLS. 
The  Lily  and  the  Cross  ;  A  Tale  of  Acadia. 

By  F.  G.  ARMSTRONG. 

The  Young  Middy:    or,    The   Perilous   Avdenturea  of  a   BoJ 
Officer. 

By  R.  M.  BALLANTYNE. 
The  Life  Boat;  A  Tale  of  Our  Coast  Heroes. 


Sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  on  receipt  (f  price. 


LEF  RND  SHEPflRD,  PUBLISHERS,  BOSTON 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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iterlibrary  LCJP 
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dox96157^ 


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